It has been a few days since my last post, I apologize, but I have fortunately had a busier week than usual lately. As I wrote in my very first blog post, I am a Certified Consultant for the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (CC-AASP), which means in a nutshell that I am a Sport Psychology Consultant (not to be confused with a sport psychologist, who has their PhD or PsyD). That being said, I figured today would be a good day to talk about my passion in this field, which is Concussion research & education. I took an interest in Concussions while an undergraduate student in bio-psychology class. The brain has always fascinated me, especially it's resiliency and ability to repair itself for the most part. Unfortunately, the brain can only take so many "beatings" also known as mild-to-severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI), more commonly known as 'concussions', 'dingers', 'bell-ringers', etc. All of these names though are ALL brain injuries resulting in sometimes permanent brain damage and degeneration. No matter if there is a loss of consciousness or mild symptoms, each one should be taken with as much seriousness as if it is a severe TBI.
The most widely used definition of a 'concussion'/TBI is: "a loss of brain function that is induced by trauma, but not defined by an actual physical trauma".
Unfortunately, once you have had one concussion, you are at risk by up to 80% to sustain a second one and more, especially within the first few days/ & weeks of the first. The more concussions you sustain, the more brain functions you lose and more degeneration occurs. Eventually, your brain just cannot sustain anymore damage and cannot function appropriately. What can happen with concussions sustained very soon after the first or second is a process called "Second Impact Syndrome" (SIS) which can result in immediate death. Now, that's not something that many coaches are even aware of! It is our job as friends, colleagues, parents, coaches, siblings, doctors, teachers, etc to inform our young athletes of. If SIS does not occur, there are still chances of loss of brain functions permanently.
Unfortunately, in contact sports, we are seeing this repeated concussion epidemic happen so frequently that it is causing many athletes to be forced in retirement, lose their spots on a team, and most tragically result in their death. The symptoms of sustaining multiple concussions can range from mild headaches to severe memory loss, personality changes, and other cognitive impairments. In 2009, a study found that at least 4% of football players alone suffer at least one concussion in a single season. And that number is probably much lower than the actual statistic due to failure to report them, etc.
Many symptoms of a concussion (especially more than one) are: headaches, dizziness, inability to sleep, depression, nightmares, memory loss, being emotionally "off", sensitivity to light, and MANY, MANY, MANY more. Just because you don't have any of these or all of these does not mean you have not sustained a concussion. There are many tests out there to check out if you have one, but failure to report symptoms could be your last decision...
Now, the most tragic and fatal consequence of sustaining many concussions over a period of time (short or long) is the development of what is known as "Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy" (CTE), otherwise known as 'punch-drunk syndrome' or 'dementia pugilistica'. This disease is being widely researched today, especially by a doctor named Dr. Robert Cantu. Dr Cantu's research shows that:
"The symptoms of CTE are insidious, first manifest by deteriorations in attention, concentration, and memory, as well as disorientation and confusion, and occasionally accompanied by dizziness and headaches. With progressive deterioration, additional symptoms, such as lack of insight, poor judgment, and overt dementia, become manifest. Severe cases are accompanied by a progressive slowing of muscular movements, a staggered, propulsive gait, masked facies, impeded speech, tremors, vertigo, and deafness".
As you can see, the symptoms associated with CTE are nothing anyone wants to ever have to endure. Unfortunately, many athletes who have CTE do not even know it. The most depressing part of this is that there is no cure at the moment, and often times it is so unbearable for those who have it, that they end up taking their own life or harming others around them. Many NFL players who have died as of recently, such as Junior Seau, have donated their brains to research with Dr. Cantu so they can try to find a cure or medicine to slow down this degenerative process for others. What needs to happen though, are more preventative measures to keep our athletes brains safer, including more education to them, stricter penalties and rules in the games, and better equipment. Many states have taken up the initiative to place more rules in contact sports, even limiting the contact for youth hockey and football players. One idea I have seen catching on is only allowing flag football for young kids until they reach puberty. Brain damage before the onset of puberty can be even more detrimental.
Now, I know this is a lot of information for your Friday, but I have a passion for it and hate to see the continuation of athletes returning to play only a few days or week after they sustained a verified concussion. Return-to-play guidelines state that a player should wait up to 3 weeks AT LEAST to get back in there after sustaining a concussions, no matter how mild or severe. Even if your symptoms have receded, there can still be brain swelling, and that is a recipe for disaster should you sustain a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th soon after.
Take the time to teach your young ones about the symptoms of a concussion. Educate yourself more also. Dr. Cantu's research is online, as well as so many others. A great book to read is called "Head Games" by Christopher Nowinski who has been sidelined due to the many concussions he received in football and wrestling. It is no light hearted tale. Also, feel free to ask me any questions, or voice your concerns on here. Most importantly, don't think that you or your loved ones are not at risk in their sport. Sports affected mostly are: soccer, football, hockey, rugby, field hockey, lacrosse, wrestling, boxing, basketball and even baseball/softball. Women are usually at a higher risk of permanent brain damage, especially when they are constantly "heading the ball" in soccer! ROCK CENTER did a phenomenal piece on a group of female high school soccer players who have sustained so many concussions that almost all of them can no longer play again and suffer daily, debilitating symptoms. There is also a documentary film that is coming out any day called "Bell Rung: An Alarming Portrait of Professional Football" that I highly recommend seeking out.
I hope this post has not put too much of a strain on the beginning of your weekend :) Keep those noggins healthy and happy and you will be rewarded all of your life. Mental health is right up there in importance of WELLNESS!! I have attached some links at the bottom of this article for your further research.
Have a happy & healthy weekend,
*Sarah*
http://www.chrisnowinski.com
References:
-Bear, M., Connors, B.,
Paradiso, M. (2007). Neuroscience,
exploring the brain. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott
Williams & Wilkins.
-Brain Injury Resource
Center, (1998). http://www.headinjury.com/faqpcs.htm
-Carter, Rita (2010). Mapping the mind. Los Angeles, CA:
Universtiy of California Press
-Eyseck & Keane. (2010). Cognitive psychology, a students handbook.
New York, NY: Psychology
Press.
-Nownski, Chris (2007). Head games, football’s concussion crisis.
East Bridgewater, MA: The Drummond
Publishing Group.
-McKee, A., Cantu, R.,
Nowinski, C., et al., (2009). Chronic traumatic encephalopathy in athletes:
a progressive tauopathy following repetitive injury. J Neuropathol Exp Journal,
68(7), 709-735.
-Powell, J.,
Barber-Foss, K. (1999). Traumatic brain injury in high school athletes. JAMA, 282, 958-963
Hey everyone: if the links do not work, just copy/paste them into your browser! I am not sure why they are not cooperating! Thanks! -Sarah-
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