Take a look at what Georgia Tech Guard Matt Causey's eyes were doing during their loss at Duke on Wednesday. He was on the court minutes after suffering a grade-two concussion! How many more athletes are going to suffer long term problems?
At least Charlotte Bobcat Forward Gerald Wallace will sit out for at least two weeks, but this is after four concussions in as many years.
I believe it's time to change the term concussion to irreversible brain-damaging injury. Basically, a concussion is caused by soft brain tissue (gray matter) that literally bounces off the inside of the cranium.
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There is medical research stating concussions cause significant long-term brain damage including depression, loss of motor function, and amnesia. Moreover, concussion symptoms are delayed as much as 48 hours. When a person suffers three or more concussions in their lifetime, that person is five times more likely to develop a case of Alzheimer's disease. There is no specific therapy for a concussion besides waiting. Georgia Tech put their starting point guard at risk for another with his gritty style.
Where are the trainers and doctors on the court who shouldn't let Causey back on the court? Who authorized this? Were they waiting for him to pass out on the court?
I am all for applauding toughness and playing through pain, with the strong exception of irreversible brain-damaging injuries. At some point we must realize that there is more to life than winning a game, especially when collegiate athletes aren't getting paid.
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10 months ago
I saw that. I was wondering if he was going to play the next game, or even if he would be back for the tournaments! I am a Duke fan, but I couldn't believe he played. I felt bad for him and it scared me everytime he got knocked around. On look at him could tell he was NOT alright.
10 months ago
The only way is a congessional hearing which will call into question, NFL concussion research which has misled the medical community about the origin of most concussion. Blows to the face, jaw and ear account for the majority of concussion in sports. Any MMA fight will display the forces through the chin to the skullbase. One doctor has been pushing for more research on this subject, check out his website. www.mahercor.com
10 months ago
NFL concussions are more serious, former players are ending up in wheelchairs and physically disabled by age 50! It is a serious problem that needs to be taken care of, in every sport.
10 months ago
Totally agree, I couldn't believe when he was allowed to re-enter the game. Shame on the trainers and coaches for allowing that. Like you said, winning has become the only thing anymore, and has even taken importance over health. Too bad Sportscenter went on to glorify the kid as "tough" and showed a couple of his highlights while suffering a concussion. Until that kind of glorification comes to an end, winning will be the end all-be all.
10 months ago
I agree that college athletes need to be protected from re-entering games after a concussion. There should simply be a rule that if a doctor recommends a player not re-enter the game, then he cannot under any circumstances return to the game. It is that simple.
Not so simple for the NBA or other professional sports. These are adults, who are free to make medical decisions for themselves. They are competent, autonomous individuals to have the right to accept or refuse any medical treatment. A physician should make his recommendation, and it is in his professional duty to look out for a patient's best interest. Beyond that, a doctor cannot force anything. If the player wants to play, that is his own decision, and it is by no means the fault of any doctor or trainer. I guarantee you that no team doctor puts winning a game over the health of his patient.
10 months ago
"I believe it's time to change the term concussion to irreversible brain-damaging injury."
Woah woah ... calm down a little bit. Let's not make the medical field out to be incompetent. The definition of concussion implies a lack of gross structural brain damange, the most liberal definition being a damage to groups of nerves and synapses (nerve connections) and dysregulation of neurotransmitters (chemicals that tell the brain what to do). If there is actual structural damage to the brain, we have a different diagnosis altogether. Subsequent concussive events could potentially evolve into different injuries, but individual episodes themselves really do not. Evidence about multiple concussions and combined effects are most inconclusive.
Obviously it is better to avoid it. That is common sense. And like I said, college athletics needs to adopt a rule about not allowing players back into games. It only makes sense. But adults are adults, and they are entitled to their decisions.
If anyone is interested, one of the most recent articles published actually shows that healthy youth are very reliable sources of symptoms regarding their concussions (Mailer BJ, Valovich-McLeod TC, Bay RC. "Healthy youth are reliable in reporting symptoms on a graded symptom scale." J Sport Rehabil. 2008 Feb;17(1):11-20). It would be implied that clinical decisions by doctors can be made based on the symptoms reported by the player/patient.
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