Category Archives: concussion

concussion

Take a Concussion Test Before Your Concussion

If you participate in a sport where collisions happen frequently, you might want to take a concussion test now.

I’m not just talking about sports like football and boxing where hitting is the point of the game. In the NCAA, more concussions are reported in women’s soccer than in men’s football. It’s also one of the most common injuries in basketball.

And I have one friend who gave up bicycling after sustaining his eighth concussion — while wearing a helmet.

But why take a concussion test if you haven’t had a blow to the head? Continue reading Take a Concussion Test Before Your Concussion →

concussion, soccer

Can Soccer Headgear Reduce Brain Injuries?

5 Comments

As a 3-year-old, Patrick Grange reportedly loved to toss a soccer ball into the air and practice heading it into a goal. Grange specialized in the skill throughout high school, college and a semi-professional career. That career ended when he died from brain damage at age 29.

Could soccer headgear have saved his life? Not if the damage came from heading the ball, a new study suggests. Continue reading Can Soccer Headgear Reduce Brain Injuries? →

concussion, hockey

Concussions in Hockey May Cause Brain Damage

A lot of hockey players accept that their sports includes a few blows to the head. Pros are famous for refusing to wear mouth guards. Now a new study suggests what this punishment may be doing to players’ brains.

This study focused on children, but if you’re a grown-up hockey player, it seems likely some of the same conclusions could apply. Continue reading Concussions in Hockey May Cause Brain Damage →

concussion

Martial Arts Linked to Brain Damage

I’ve written a lot about how athletes can avoid injury. So far, I’ve said nothing about those sports where harm is the goal.

Today a new study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine looks at boxing and mixed martial arts and comes to an unsurprising conclusion: The more you fight, the more you hurt your brain.

But the details matter. The researchers found that boxers fare worse than mixed martial arts participants. And they are hoping their work can give fighters some idea of how much combat causes how much damage. Continue reading Martial Arts Linked to Brain Damage →

concussion, football, hockey, soccer, Technology

Do Sports Injury Genes Determine Your Fitness?

2 Comments

Sports injury genes could change your future.

Imagine this scenario. You try to register for your hockey team as you do every year. But the league has a new policy: All players must report to a health center to get their mouths swabbed. A couple of days later, you get a call. “You’re positive for ApoE4. We’re sorry, but because of liability rules, you can’t play in this league. In fact, you shouldn’t play hockey anywhere.” Continue reading Do Sports Injury Genes Determine Your Fitness? →

basketball, concussion, football, hockey, soccer

Recognize Concussion Symptoms

1 Comment
Concussion symptoms
Concussion symptoms. Photo by Rugby Streaming. Some rights reserved.

Recognizing concussion symptoms may save your life.

For generations, athletes took blows to the head and kept right on playing. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the game. Coaches, teammates and fans may depend on you. But getting hit again and again can permanently damage your brain. It can even kill you. Continue reading Recognize Concussion Symptoms →

concussion, rugby

English Rugby Tightens Concussion Rules

Professional English rugby players will get concussion tests on the sidelines if they show signs of a head injury, under a new policy Premiership Rugby reports.

A joint venture between Premiership Rugby, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the Rugby Players Association (RPA) has produced a new set of processes designed to optimise the treatment of concussion…

The Head Injury Assessment (HIA) process, formerly the Pitchside Suspected Concussion Assessment, will be used in all Aviva Premiership Rugby, LV= Cup and European matches this season, with cases of confirmed or suspected concussion resulting in the affected player being removed from the pitch.

Continue reading English Rugby Tightens Concussion Rules →

concussion, soccer

Update: Soccer Leaders Institute Concussion Rule

1 Comment
A player is injured in a Seattle Sounders match. Photo by Noelle Noble. Some rights reserved.
A player is injured in a Seattle Sounders match. Photo by Noelle Noble. Some rights reserved.

UPDATE: Referees may stop soccer matches for up to three minutes while the team doctor decides if a player can stay in the game in European competitions, wire services are reported on Thursday.

Gianni Infantino, the secretary general of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), said the policy was approved by the organization’s executive committee and will take effect immediately, according to Reuters.

My Original Story

Should referees stop a soccer game if a player gets hit hard in the head? Should team doctors should overrule coaches in deciding if a player stays in the game?

The answers to both questions seem obvious, but they are only now trickling into the minds of soccer’s governing body.

Leaders of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) last week put the notions forward, but Continue reading Update: Soccer Leaders Institute Concussion Rule →