| If the mind is a terrible thing to waste, then preserving it by protecting our physical brain makes a lot of sense.
Daniel G. Amen, M.D. is known for his research using SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) brain scans to evaluate brain blood flow and actual functional activity. In his book, Healing ADD: The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD, Amen says the brain is involved in everything we do, think, feel, act, who we are and how well we connect socially. When it works right, we work right. Injuries, pollution (drugs, excessive caffeine, smoking, etc.), poor nutrition, and excessive stress can hurt our brains; but we can optimize our brains through healthy and protective measures.
The brain has the consistency of soft butter or a raw egg and the skull is hard with rough, sometimes sharp, ridges inside, says Amen. When the brain hits the skull, it has nowhere to go except to slam against these ridges, ripping small blood vessels, causing bleeding, inflammation and scarring. The decreased blood flow prevents delivery of nutrients and disposal of toxins and, at times, rotational and shearing effects. Injury can happen even if the person is not knocked unconscious.
Brain injury is invisible and symptoms may not exhibit themselves right away. They can include “seeing stars”, dizziness, disorientation, impaired eye movement, nausea, headaches, and sensitivity to light and noise. Difficulty with attention and concentration, mood changes, and decreased energy and motivation can mimic ADD symptoms. Repercussions can register many years later—trouble with studies, relationships, motivation and work performance, and mental illness. See Amen’s fascinating gallery of brain scans of injuries and various brain conditions at www.amenclinics.com.
The sports and recreation industries are increasingly addressing concussions/mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). Some of the most recent measures being employed:
• Training of students, coaches, trainers, referees, parents, teachers, guidance counselors, physicians and hospitals to recognize and report the signs.
• Baseline cognitive, sometimes computerized, tests prior to season play in contact sports and as an aid to the recovery process.
• Helmet improvements to better prevent injuries and protect those with prior concussions. Read the article at http://www.boston.com/news.
(See especially sidebar and comments.)
• According to the NFL, blows to the jaw cause more concussions than blows to the top of the head, spine or neck. Players with a cartilage defect, TMJ (Temporal Mandibular Jawbone), are more prone to MTBI and brain re-injury. New England Patriots team dentist, Dr. Gerald Maher, has developed corrective mouth guards and has conducted studies to show improved prevention. http://bleacherreport.com/articles and http://www.mahercorlabs.com/
• Guidelines for when an athlete should return to play, set from an international experts symposium, include:
-No return to play on the same day if the player
doesn’t pass appropriate tests
-The player is not left alone and is monitored regularly
-There must be a medical evaluation and release
-Compliance with a step-by-step return-to-play protocol.
Reporting and compliance are challenging for athletes; in the heat of competition it is difficult to consider consequences over the next 60-70 years of their lives. One New Jersey high school football player died in 2008 of Second Impact Syndrome (SIS), when his second concussion occurred before the first one was fully healed. The still-developing brains of high school students require 10-14 days of recovery, college students 7-10 days, and adult ball players 5-7 days.
During initial recovery, activity more than light walking and use of cell phones, text-messaging, TV and computers over-stimulate the brain and can be counter-productive (http://www.iowasportsconnection.com/article.cfm?article=14255).
For additional detection and prevention resources, see the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s website, www.iahsaa.org, and go to www.cdc.gov and search “Free Concussion Toolkit”.
Weekend warriors, remember to use and tighten helmets when on your bikes, skates and skateboards. Avid Cedar Falls cyclist and helmet enthusiast Ross Cain concurs. “As hard and fast as I ride, it wouldn’t be hard for something to make me take a spill. I wear a helmet to avoid becoming a vegetable. It’s not worth the risk.”
To quote one blogging parent’s conclusion: “Legs heal, arms mend, scars happen, but head injuries may not ever get better. Protect what we value most in our children— their minds, their personalities, their future.”
Well said.
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