Posts tagged "concussions"

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., drew more attention to the risks of sports-related brain injuries last week by bowing out of two upcoming races. The driver sustained a concussion in a 25-car crash on October 7 and he might be hurting his shot at the Chase for the Spring Cup by skipping the next two races.

This announcement helped refocus concussion concerns away from football to look at other sports as equally dangerous sources of traumatic brain injuries. Given the frequency of high speed crashes, NASCAR is not exactly a surprising brain injury culprit. Another driver, Eric McClure, had to sit out six weeks of racing after suffering his third concussion.

Statistics from other sports might be a bit more surprising:

As discussed in the previous post, the NFL is donating $30 million to the National Institutes of Health to fund research into brain injuries. The NFL says it wants to actively aid science in understanding brain injuries and finding better ways to treat people with brain injuries.

According to The Washington Post, the donation comes out of a labor contract the league made with players last year. In the contract, the NFL promised to give more than $100 million to fund research into brain injuries over the contract's 10-year-period. The NFL said that it felt a sense of urgency to start funding the brain injury research and wanted to move forward.

The NFL recently made the largest donation in its history when it gave $30 million to the National Institutes of Health to fund brain injury research. The NFL Commissioner said that the donation demonstrates the commitment the NFL has to improve the science around brain injuries and to improve treatments and outcomes for people with brain injuries.

The move comes at a time when the NFL is facing a class-action lawsuit filed against the league by former players that accuses the NFL of not doing enough to protect players from head injuries or to warn players of the long-term health implications of repeat concussions. The NFL denies the allegations.

Summer can be a time of sports leagues and long days of playing outside for children. These activities help kids stay healthy and to learn teamwork skills, but falls and accidents can also lead to concussions and brain injuries. 

Children are especially vulnerable to long-term consequences from brain injuries because their brains are still developing. It is important for parents to know the signs of a brain injury so that kids get the medical care they need and so that parents can do what they can to prevent further injury to the brain.

A child with a concussion may have nausea and vomiting, a headache and problems with vision. A child may also be disoriented. If a child shows signs of a concussion, you should seek medical help to make sure that there is not a skull fracture or a brain bleed. After ruling out more serious conditions, a child will need to rest in order to let the brain heal and to prevent exacerbating the injury.

A recent interesting article in USA Today compares the current class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of 2,400 former NFL players against the NFL to the lawsuits filed by consumers against the tobacco industry in the 90s. Scores of former and current players across the country, including California, have claimed that repeated brain injuries they suffered playing football have led to permanent brain damage, depression and early-onset dementia.

Those familiar with the cases say there are similarities since both groups of plaintiffs took part in risky behaviors that eventually damaged their health. In each set of lawsuits, the plaintiffs claim that the defendants failed to share the knowledge they had of the potentially health-damaging effects of cigarettes in the Big Tobacco case, or repeated concussions in the case of the NFL. Both the plaintiffs are also multibillion-dollar industries.

As discussed in the previous post, professional football players and parents and coaches of youth players have become more aware in the last couple of years of the importance of preventing brain injuries. A lawsuit has even been filed by former pro football players accusing the NFL and helmet-maker Riddell of concealing the true knowledge of how brain injuries could affect them long-term and not doing enough to protect them.

The knowledge that repeated concussions can lead to dementia, depression and other long-term problems down the road has caused players and coaches to rethink their approach to the game and the most important piece of protective equipment -- the helmet.

One new helmet model features gel-filled pouches that fit over the helmet and help it cushion a player's head from dangerous blows. Last year the pouches were provided to 600 players. None reported a concussion. Another company has developed a helmet that incorporates air-filled pads rather than foam.

High-impact collisions are part of the game of football. Today's players are bigger, stronger and faster than their counterparts of yesteryear. But their most important piece of equipment hasn't kept pace.

The first football helmets were little more than open-faced skull caps with leather padding. Later, a plastic shell with a foam insert and facemask became standard. The helmet's basic structure hasn't changed much since the 1950s.

But grim facts about head injuries have surfaced in recent years. And the past two years have seen professional players as well as parents and coaches of youth sports players begin to be more aware of the danger of repeated concussions and the importance of preventing brain injuries.

When a person suffers a brain injury, the injury can have long lasting and life changing results. Often, people who suffer a traumatic brain injury are no longer able to live their lives as they once did and they need specialized care and assistance for the rest of their lives. When a person suffers a brain injury because of the negligent or careless actions of another person, the injury victim is entitled to compensation for his or her injuries.

Athletes are especially vulnerable to brain injuries in the form of a concussion. Usually, a concussion is caused by a blow to the head, and concussions can impair a person's mental activities, including speech, concentration, and balance. It is estimated that more than 300,000 Americans suffer a sports-related concussion every year. In addition, thousands of concussions result from car accidents and falls.

Vets coming home having survived catastrophic injuries such as amputations and traumatic brain injuries is increasingly common in America's most recent wars. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), mortar blasts and other hazards have sent many vets home with more than one life-changing physical injury -- often alongside PTSD or other psychological injuries.

Although the good news is that more soldiers are surviving these terrible injuries than in past wars, recovery takes time and requires considerable effort, not only from the patients, but from their caregivers, therapists and family members.

One form of therapy is especially promising for injured soldiers -- both for their physical improvement and for their self-esteem, sense of belonging and hope for the future. In May, over 197 injured military personnel traveled to Colorado Springs, Colorado to compete in the second annual Warrior Games at the Olympic Training Center. Events included many of those found in a regular Olympic competition like basketball and track and field.

Hockey is a very physical game. However, players and sponsors alike are growing increasingly concerned over the serious injuries that are happening to professional hockey players at a rapid rate.

San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson and the other 29 NHL general managers are scheduled to meet next week to discuss what needs to be done to ensure the safety of NHL players. According to the NHL Commissioner, the current rule prohibiting blindside hits during games is working. However, many are concerned about the increase in player concussions and NHL stakeholders are debating whether additional rules should be put in place to prevent brain injuries.

A nine-year old girl who was attending a birthday sustained serious injuries, including a concussion, after a jumping castle she was playing in caught a strong wind gust, lifted her into the air and dropped her onto a nearby roof.

The girl and her 11-year old sister were inside of the jumping castle when a sudden gust of wind, which witnesses described as a microburst, lifted the castle from the ground. Although the castle was tethered to the ground, the wind was forceful enough to break the ties, said a local fire department representative.

In 2005, Preston Plevretes was a 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker for LaSalle University. The November 5 game against Duquesne University would prove to be his last. While covering a punt, Plevretes collided with a Duquesne player at the 37-yard line and never got up.

About one month earlier, Plevretes sustained a concussion during practice in a helmet-to-helmet hit. Soon after, he was cleared to play by a campus clinic nurse and a team trainer. Though he still had throbbing headaches, he returned to the gridiron and sustained the hit and brain injury that ended his football career and changed his life forever.