As a practicing neurosurgeon and journalist, a big interest of mine has been the concussion crisis in sports. I've been investigating it for two years. Former NFL players have begun to speak out about their experiences with the lasting effects of concussions sustained while playing the game, and some have even made arrangements to donate their brains for future research to the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University.
The more I have examined this subject, the more I have wanted to know about how concussion may be affecting young people who play the game. The statistics for concussion in younger players are startling. According to the Sports Concussion Institute in Los Angeles, each season one in ten high school football players gets a concussion, and about 35 percent of those sustains more than one concussion. Most players heal from these injuries, but a growing body of evidence suggests that repeated trauma can mean long-term memory problems, depression, and even early death - particularly when repeated trauma is sustained in quick succession, known as "second impact syndrome." I've met a few families that have borne these terrible consequences. And as a father, I really want to help parents, coaches, and young people know the risks - and perhaps the information can make a difference to someone.
As a neuroscientist, I know that the adolescent brain is still developing. It's less resilient to concussion than the adult brain. I agree with Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, one of the country's leading researchers in this field that "concussion" is a word that we've come not to associate with the seriousness of what is better described as a brain injury. And I've met kids who just love the game so much; they underestimate their level of risk.
I love the game of football. I went to a Big Ten school, the University of Michigan, and my wife and I still return to our alma mater for games. But I think that the game can be safer. The NFL kickoff rule changes to reduce the helmet-to-helmet hits on punt returns were good ideas. Hiring certified athletic trainers skilled at recognizing symptoms of brain injury at games and practices at the youth level can also reduce the risk of head trauma and save lives. And, the new pre-season cognitive testing for all players can be successful in helping assess a player's condition after a hit. If a player's brain is not functioning like it did before the season, schools can make sure that player does not return to the field until he is healthy - that's key, making sure the decision is made by a medical professional to clear a player with a brain injury that he can return to play.
My CNN colleagues and I have produced a documentary that we feel will highlight some important information for kids, parents, and coaches. If you love the game, or love a kid who plays the game, I hope you'll watch...
Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports: Big Hits, Broken Dreams airs Sunday, Jan. 29 at 8:00pm and 11:00pm ET & PT. It replays on Saturday, Feb. 4 at the same airtimes.
Follow Dr. Sanjay Gupta on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sanjayguptaCNN
It was a difficult but successful stint in the psych ward/ rehab, after years of struggle and anguish, he was ready to take on the world. Everything is back on track, the college coaches welcomed him back with open arms. His life seemed to be moving in a great direction and then BOOM! Another concussion. Dizzy, light headed, nauseous, crying, lonely, given a bottle full of vicodin, left alone for a few hours, blurry, team returns, get handed beers by coaches, blackout, wake up vomiting, realize you got robbed and compromised everyones trust by getting wrecked and disgracing the program, leave school unabated and embarrassed. He was from a broken home and truly counted on the university coaching and training staff to keep him healthy, they knew of his past but still contributed to the suffering through negligence and downright participation in such reprehensible activity. Can he sue them?
This makes so much sense! I can't help adding that it's a no-brainer...
lockdown. People aren't stupid.
Force = Mass X Acceleration...players are faster than ever and (via weight training and HGH/steroids) Bigger than ever. thr human morphology, orthopedic structure and brain is now subject to harder, faster collisions than ever at the sport. Resultingly , brain and spinal cord injuries are inevitable and likely to be more frequent in the future no matter the incremental improvement in preventive technology.
As to whether rugby is "safer" because of the lack of pads, I would say merely that it is dangerous in different ways. Rugby players can't tackle the way you do in football. Instead it's much closer to what a football coach would call a "form" tackle - head up, hit with the chest (shoulders tend to do painful things when they're hit hard without pads, like partially dislocate) and wrap the legs. This type of hit should lessen neck or head injuries, but I doubt it does in practice. Rugby players play at least as rough and regularly suffer catastrophic injuries, and I've known of several friends who I played football with through four years of high school who didn't have concussion issues until they started playing rugby in college.