It's Just A Concussion. No Big Deal, Right?
Marion Spears Karr, FACHE
Managing Partner & Founder of In-FLOW Executives: “More than a Search Firm...A Solutions Firm.” #leadershipdevelopment #healthcare #digitalhealth #executivesearch #revenuecycle #pophealth Top 1% LinkedIn in Industry
Updated 3/1/2021: After reading about another athlete committing suicide, Australian Football League great, Danny Frawley, and in honor of Brain Injury Awareness Month, I thought I should share this article I originally posted in 2014. Frawley, sustained an estimated 20 concussions throughout his 240-game career with St Kilda between 1984 and 1995 and retired before the discovery of CTE. He coached in the AFL until 2004 but his mental health began going downhill soon after. Frawley became a champion of men's health and sought treatment 10 years later for his depression. He committed suicide the day after his 56th birthday and the coroner has linked his depression to CTE.
Updated 11/26/2018-Originally this post was written after another tragic suicide of a college football player that had been linked to multiple concussions. I have updated it because I recently learned of another friend who is struggling with post-brain injury issues.
Author's Note: The photo above is from two crashes during a national slalom skateboard race in 2008. The helmet on the left saved the downhill skater's life when he "high sided" and crashed at 40 mph with the back of his head being the second thing to make contact with the pavement. He was unconscious for over five minutes. Twenty minutes later I crashed at the same spot on the course and skidded on the back of my head for over 100 feet before coming to a stop. It was my third known concussion. (I have had three that I know of and a suspected forth). In 1981 I incurred a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) after being hit by a car while training for a bicycle race in Concord, North Carolina. That brain injury left me deaf in my right ear, partially deaf in my left, and dealing with anxiety and depression, chronic pain, and memory issues ever since.
It's Just A Concussion. No Big Deal, Right?
We have become desensitized to the word "Concussion." I mean, it's just a bruise on the brain. No big deal right? Just shake it off. WRONG! To the healthcare community, the sports community, and the public in general, it is time we call a concussion what it is- BRAIN INJURY! A bruise to the brain is BRAIN INJURY! IT'S YOUR BRAIN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! Not your thigh muscle, calf muscle, or your elbow!
Maybe, just maybe if we call it what it is, we will begin to understand it, put an effort to educate young athletes to realize its seriousness, and honestly get down to finding ways to mitigate it in sports. That includes teaching athletes to accept it like an ACL or other injury and take time OFF OF THE FIELD long enough to recover fully. That also includes putting money, and I mean real research dollars, into designing better equipment, educating coaches, athletic trainers, and parents. Everyone needs to know what to look for as signs of brain injury. The public needs to be informed of the fact that just because a player is not limping, wincing in pain, or showing symptoms otherwise if he or she got hit in the head, THEY ARE PROBABLY INJURED!
In 1981 I received a brain injury from getting hit by a car while training for a bicycle race. In later years I have had other head injuries from the extreme sports in which I participated. YES, I chose to do those sports and I have paid a heavy price....years and years of battling with depression, loss of hearing, and short-term memory loss so I know of what I speak. I am one of the incredibly lucky ones. I still can function in a career that takes thought and focus, but it has been only by the grace of God, love, and support of family and close friends, and sheer determination that I have been able to do all I have done.
Suicide in this country by athletes and former athletes is on the rise. I have lost two good friends to it. Much research is pointing at brain injury as a substantial contributing factor in suicide rate increases among this population. Also, the rise in suicides related to PTSD within our arm forces is also shockingly high, and there is evidence that it too is brain-injury related.
When are we going to begin a frank dialogue around this subject?
Call concussions what they are---> BRAIN INJURY!
Support your local brain injury recovery program, national brain injury treatment, and prevention research, and encourage others to do so as well. If you are a parent of an athlete, no matter the sport, learn what the symptoms and signs of a possible issue in the brain can be, and become aware of what is happening with your child. Most importantly, teach your athlete that a brain injury is serious and the long-term impact can have a devastating influence on their quality of life. Proper treatment and recovery are critical. Just because they look fine does not mean that they are fully recovered. It is O.K. to take time off! It’s vital to their health over the long-term.
For more information, email me at [email protected], and I will direct you to the various organizations providing education on the topic.
Caregiver for Private Patient
9 年Hi Marion! You are correct! We do take the term "concussion" much too lightly. I have witnessed patients being given a sheet of paper on the subject of "concussions" and for which symptoms to look. Then, the patients are sent on their way as if it were nothing but a common cold. Though not an expert, I have always wondered why the diagnosis of a concussion was not taken more seriously. It seems that I, as a parent, have taken and remembered the advice of the providers and the handouts, so that when one of my children (or even myself) were hit on the head, I didn't rush to the doctor or the ER. I only watched for more serious symptoms and wouldn't allow my children or I fall asleep for a given period of time. Thank you for this informative article.
PTA at Bass Physical Therapy & Rehab
9 年Hey Marion. I am a PTA assistant and I see concussions a lot due to the fact I work football sidelines in my hometown and im also a mom of 4 girls and two of them play travel softball. Very rarely will I see a coach concerned about their players when they suffer a brain injury, especially when it comes to the game of football. They tell their players to shake it off as if it were a simple scratch to the arm. It makes me so mad! I've seen players go back in and have to be hospitalized that same night or next morning after being warned numerous times not to. Like yourself, my hope and prayer is that the parents and coaches become more educated on these brain injuries because they are just THAT! Our clinic just got together last season with the surrounding city and county football coaches to educate them on the importance of taking a head injury very seriously. It's not something that can be shaken off. They were also encouraged to listen to their therapists and athletic trainers, not just a doctor, when we say their player needs to sit out or go to ER. We are trained professionals as well and we do know what we are talking about. I feel encouraged and hopefull now that u posted this article. I will definitely repost and share! Thank you
Managing Partner & Founder of In-FLOW Executives: “More than a Search Firm...A Solutions Firm.” #leadershipdevelopment #healthcare #digitalhealth #executivesearch #revenuecycle #pophealth Top 1% LinkedIn in Industry
10 年Philip Geis "frank dialogue" may be a poor choice of words. What I meant was when are we (we being the collection of parents, citizens, healthcare professionals, coaches, media, government, etc) going to have a open, honest, and direct conversation that can lead to action around this subject of brain injury? We sugar coat it by simply calling it by a word that we as a colllective group has marginalized its severity. How many more suicides do we need to actually make a big deal about it? Ebola has had three known patients in the US I believe. Thousands of athletes and military professionals have brain injuries each year yet there is little to no discussion and action to solve the problem.
Director of Quality Management
10 年I had so many as a child, I was such a dare devil, I think I may be suffering for it today. I often can't say the word I want to say, i can "see" it in my mind, but for the life of me I can't find the words to verbalize. I thought I was having a TIA!!