All can agree on this: Brain injuries require a cautious approach
Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: Sports
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-(MCT) Athletes call it getting your bell rung, but a concussion is more like an electrical storm in your brain.
A sudden impact to the head temporarily scrambles nerve impulses that transmit thoughts and the brain's orders to the body, as seen when tough linebackers stagger like drunks and go the wrong way on the field after a big hit.
Even mild concussions can cause lasting damage, especially a second one. And because brain injuries are far from fully understood, scientists said coaches, parents, doctors and athletes need to take them more seriously and be more cautious.
"We've got all these people getting mild concussions, and they may or may not even see a doctor. We give them a couple aspirins and send them home," said W. Dalton Dietrich , scientific director of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. "Now we're finding some of these mild cases are causing long-term problems."
Several studies suggest that head trauma may raise the future risk of developing memory-destroying Alzheimer's disease and the movement disorder Parkinson's disease, or may bring them on early. It's not proven, but researchers said the evidence is growing.
In a concussion, the jolt jars brain tissue and can stretch or break thin tendrils called axons that carry signals among brain cells, short-circuiting thoughts and commands to the body. Plus, jangled cells release chemicals that disrupt healthy cells.
Potential results: Temporary confusion, amnesia, slurred speech, imbalance, blank stare, slow reactions and more. In most cases, an athlete quickly regains normal thinking and abilities and can resume playing within a week or two.
But a caution: Players should not go back in the game until they go 15 to 20 minutes without any symptoms at rest, and then can exercise on the sidelines without any symptoms. They should be carefully watched during that exercise, because some experts believe that raising the blood pressure can worsen the problem.
Athletes who get knocked unconscious, even for a moment, or have any amnesia should stay on the sidelines for weeks as a precaution, experts said. A doctor should evaluate them and give a head scan looking for serious injuries such as bleeding in the brain, bruising and swelling, all of which can kill brain cells.
A sudden impact to the head temporarily scrambles nerve impulses that transmit thoughts and the brain's orders to the body, as seen when tough linebackers stagger like drunks and go the wrong way on the field after a big hit.
Even mild concussions can cause lasting damage, especially a second one. And because brain injuries are far from fully understood, scientists said coaches, parents, doctors and athletes need to take them more seriously and be more cautious.
"We've got all these people getting mild concussions, and they may or may not even see a doctor. We give them a couple aspirins and send them home," said W. Dalton Dietrich , scientific director of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. "Now we're finding some of these mild cases are causing long-term problems."
Several studies suggest that head trauma may raise the future risk of developing memory-destroying Alzheimer's disease and the movement disorder Parkinson's disease, or may bring them on early. It's not proven, but researchers said the evidence is growing.
In a concussion, the jolt jars brain tissue and can stretch or break thin tendrils called axons that carry signals among brain cells, short-circuiting thoughts and commands to the body. Plus, jangled cells release chemicals that disrupt healthy cells.
Potential results: Temporary confusion, amnesia, slurred speech, imbalance, blank stare, slow reactions and more. In most cases, an athlete quickly regains normal thinking and abilities and can resume playing within a week or two.
But a caution: Players should not go back in the game until they go 15 to 20 minutes without any symptoms at rest, and then can exercise on the sidelines without any symptoms. They should be carefully watched during that exercise, because some experts believe that raising the blood pressure can worsen the problem.
Athletes who get knocked unconscious, even for a moment, or have any amnesia should stay on the sidelines for weeks as a precaution, experts said. A doctor should evaluate them and give a head scan looking for serious injuries such as bleeding in the brain, bruising and swelling, all of which can kill brain cells.
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