Tuesday, January 20, 2015
BY GINGER DUNBAR
"Chris Nowinski, a former Harvard football player and WWE professional wrestler, spoke Tuesday during “Concussion 101” about his experience and the symptoms of concussions.
Nowinski said his eighth doctor was the one that helped him realize that he had experienced concussions during his 19 years of playing contact sports.
His doctor asked if he saw stars, felt dizzy, got confused, had a headache, heard ringing, had double-vision and more, after a hit to the head. He told his doctor that happened often and realized he had undiagnosed concussions...
January 16, 2015
BY MATT VENTRESCA
The sports media has a fascination with concussions. Not only is there a huge volume of stories about the issue, but there’s also an urgency to the tone of the reporting. The heightened coverage has served to increase awareness of the concussion problem and encourage public debate about sport, health and safety.
But what’s often missing from the media’s discussion of the topic is a recognition that the concussion problem is not merely a health issue; it’s also a social issue. We’re generally less inclined to look at how concerns about head injuries influence our understanding of ourselves and the identities of others...
8:02 p.m. EST January 9, 2015
BY MICHAEL GRANT, USA TODAY SPORTS
LOUISVILLE — Before he was a doctor, Tad Seifert was a high school football player in Oklahoma. His stint as a wide receiver ended abruptly after a concussion.
"Quite honestly, it scared my mom," he said.
Instead, Seifert ran track at Oklahoma State University. Now, the 40-year-old is a clinical assistant professor of neurology at the University of Kentucky and is Director of Norton Healthcare's Sports Concussion Program.
Seifert is one of the scheduled speakers at the National Strength and Conditioning Association Coaches Conference being held at the Kentucky International Convention Center this week.
Seifert came to the conference to speak about how neck strengthening may help prevent concussions. Women athletes get concussions at a higher rate than males. One theory which may explain why has to do with neck strength.
"There is a sizeable body of evidence that suggests that stronger necks decrease concussion risks," the neurologist said. "Females have weaker necks relative to males. When they're hit, they have more of that whiplash-like movement of the head and neck. It's that reverberation of the brain inside the skull that causes the injury of concussion."...
BY JESSICA FIRGER
The rate of emergency room visits for traumatic brain injury increased by 30 percent between 2006 and 2010, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The researchers say the uptick in urgent care for concussions and other related head injuries may be the result of public health campaigns, legislation and efforts to raise awareness about the dangers posed by such conditions.
Dr. Dennis Cardone, co-director of the Concussion Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, told CBS News the paper's findings are significant.
"Traumatic brain injuries such as concussions can be complex," said Cardone, who was not involved in the study. "Most will resolve without complications within 10 to 14 days, but others can lead to serious short- and long-term adverse effects. This study speaks to the increased recognition of traumatic brain injuries and concussion, increased education and awareness, and an increased number of people participating in sports."...
May 5, 2014
BY ERIC NIILER
Scientists studying head injuries have found something surprising: Genes may make some people more susceptible to concussion and trauma than others. A person’s genetic makeup, in fact, may play a more important role in the extent of injury than the number of blows a person sustains.
While this research is still in its infancy, these scientists are working toward developing a blood test that may one day help a person decide — based on his her or her genetic predisposition — whether to try out for the football team, or perhaps take up swimming or chess instead.
“Until now, all the attention has been paid to how hard and how often you get hit,” said Thomas McAllister, a professor of clinical psychiatry at the Indiana University School of Medicine. “No doubt that’s important. But it’s also becoming clear that’s it’s probably an interaction between the injury and the genetics of the person being injured.”
This research is being spurred by fears that some athletes and many returning soldiers may face a lifetime of problems from head injuries...