Tuesday, February 2, 2010

There is no such thing as a mild brain injury.

Time magazine has provided the influence of a major news magazine in educating athletes, potential athletes, parents and fans on inherent dangers of repetitive blows to the head in contact/collision sports like football. The feature "The Problem with Football: How to Make It Safer", provides a good solid scientific analysis of the cumulative effects of repetitive concussive forces that the brain goes through hit after hit, day after day on the football field and is presented in a literary manner that is easy for the nonscientist to comprehend. As more information is disseminated with regards to multiple concussive impacts and their relationship to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (also referred to as CTE), more coaches, parents and athletes will gain understanding and be able to make informed decisions when given the options presented to them by healthcare providers.

Within this article, there is a video well worth the 9 ½ minutes in length. This is Your Brain on Football.

While this article (along with the majority of current media attention) is centered on the sport of football, it is important to note that cerebral concussion injuries do occur in other sports. Coaches and parents need to assist in recognizing the signs and symptoms of a concussion since many athletes will not report the injury. There is no such thing as a mild brain injury.

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