Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Concussions, injuries that fall on the mild side of the traumatic brain injury (TBI) scale, are receiving significantly more consideration these days than ever before, thanks to studies that probe and attempt to grasp the often elusive nature of TBI.

TBI has worked its way into the public awareness recently, shepherded by reports of record numbers of soldiers returning from the Middle East with brain injuries, considered the “signature injury” of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and the head injuries of high-profile people such as Natasha Richardson.

As more and more Americans deal with the repercussions of TBI in themselves or in their families, an increasing number of health organizations, government agencies, and corporations are working to confront the problem and develop solutions for both treatment and prevention.

TBI researchers estimate between 1.6 million and 3.8 million sports and recreation-related concussions occur in the U.S. each year, making them the most widespread form of brain injury. Worse, concussions may have a cumulative effect on the brain. Research shows that repeat concussions, spread out over an athletic career, can have serious, long-term implications.

According to a report published by UPI, three football helmet manufacturers are redesigning their head gear to offer more protection against blows to the head. “Adams is lining its helmets with foam of varying degrees of density, while Riddell is marketing a helmet that sends a wireless alert to a team’s training staff when a player takes a potentially dangerous hit. Xenith is marketing the X1, a helmet with air-cushioned shock absorbers,” the report says.

In a sport like football, however, it may be impossible to engineer concussions out of the game completely. When prevention fails, treatment begins.

Concussions are head trauma that occurs when the brain is rattled or violently jarred, causing the brain cells to fire all at once in a seizure-like manner. Typical signs of concussion include disorientation, memory loss, and confusion.

For children and adolescents whose brains are still in a developmental stage, concussions require more care and attention. A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine says that children and teens suffering from a concussion should be closely monitored. Under no circumstances should children with concussions be allowed to return to regular activity on the same day or until they are fully healed. No returning to the game, no returning to school, and no cognitive activity, the study advises.

Children and adolescents also require a longer recovery time and a more gradual return to normal activities than adults. “Cognitive rest” is as crucial for a child with a concussion as physical rest, and all cognitive activities such as school work, video games, television, computer, text messaging, and so on should be eliminated until the child is fully healed.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 4:02 pm and is filed under News, brain injury, safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.