Sports and head injuries
 

While I primarily follow hockey, I know other sports with the NFL being the leader with it comes to contact to the head and concussion like symptoms and their long term affect on the players.

Last week, a Boston university that did the autopsy on Derek Boogaard's brain found signs of early dementia possibly from all the fights that he was involved in during his professional career NHL and minor league.

It's been documented that there are mid 30 year old football players who have dementia and had history of head trauma. It was so bad for one former player, that he took a shot gun to his heart and pulled the trigger after he pinned a note to himself asking to send his brain for autopsy.

We know Boxer's have this problem too since fighters are trading blows to each other, and at times they are at the head.

So what other sports should we be concerned about having this problem? And I am not talking about accidental collisions like 2 players running into each other.
I've heard someone mention soccer when players are heading the ball.

And how long do you think we will see massive changes in sports as we know it because of liability/genuine health concerns to the players?

As a kid growing up playing hockey, it took a few kids who became paraplegics before rules changes and advertisement campaigns were made to educate and enforce no hitting players in the numbers.

To be honest, as a Vancouverite, I am still bitter that the league dropped the ball on the Moore hit on Naslund. Pat Lafontaine, Paul Karyia, Eric Lindros is just to name a few superstars who's career changed after suffering their first concussion.

wut

how long till they ban balls at school because they are dangerous?
wait, they already did
Balls bounce back after Toronto school ban - Toronto - CBC News

Sorry, I hit enter instead of back space when i posted that originally. I have since completed what I was going to type.

Interesting link. Thanks.

I had a bad wipe out snowboarding, buddy thought it would be funny to cut infront of me from my blind side and I hit an edge and tumbled a long ways down. Doctor said I had a moderate to serious concussion. Ever since then playing ball hockey and now ice hockey when I get a puck or ball to my mask I get light headed and often loose balance and fall down. My head will never be the same :/

Interesting topic! Maybe let's hear other people's concussion stories and how it has affected them in sports or what ever.
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I suffered four concussions (One of Grade 3, One of Grade 2, and Two of Grade 1) over the last six years all through recreation hockey. A few of them were blind side hits which were pretty bad. I am still feeling lingering affects (PCS) from the last one which was 10 months ago. I can barely skate at 100 percent on ice or even moderate workouts without feeling nauseous or severe headaches.

There are days where I feel normal and good then there are days where I don't feel like leaving the bed. I have a heck of a time concentrating at work. I would often get irritated very easier as well getting angry at others for something non-significant.

My suggestion to others is to check with the doctors if you feel you are starting to have concussion like symptoms immediately. Please also take your time to make sure that you are fully healed before continuing physical sporting activities as I rushed back as soon as the symptoms were gone and ended back at step 1.

I even purchased the Cascade M11 helmet and worn mouth guards last year which still wasn't enough. The doctors recommended that I do not play any sports for least a full year or possibly just giving it up completely which is very hard for me.

After reading the article posted above, I am seriously frightened for my health as I am few years away from being 30 soon. I do not want to have dementia or Alzheimer when I am in my forties.

l e a t t

Taekwondo

Never got a concussion, but others did :troll:

any sport really has their injuries, where fighting takes place the chances for this are higher..

Its shitty....the risk of playing any kind of sport has its consequences. But every now and then a 'freak' accident is bound to happen...

Then what...do we change the rules because of an incident that had a 1 in 1,000 chance of happening again in the near future?

As for boxers, wrestlers (although its staged) and fighters....i think its a given that they've sacrificed their body for the sake of entertainment and reward, so they're deemed as fucked.

However...the most recent tragic accident we can't forget is the Georgian luger. Fingers were pointed, and nobody will accept the blame. Nobody can actually settle that it was a tragic accident.

Growing up in the 80's and early 90's, I played league hockey. In my teens, on a few occasions, I was hit and hit hard by opposing players who were much taller and bigger.

Even at age 17, I was only 5'6 160 lbs playing against some players who were 6 ft tall 200 lbs.

I don't recall seeing stars or concussion like symptoms but as I get older and continue to play league hockey, it is in the back of my mind.

Im a huge MMA fan. but I guarantee you we are all kidding ourselves saying the sport is "safe". Give it another 10-15 years and we're going to start seeing a lot of retired fighters having some serious problems.

can someone explain to me why fighting and cheap hits to the head are still allowed in hockey ?

I understand fighting has been a part of hockey since the very beginning, and I honestly don't mind it as long as it's the team "brawlers" going at it, you know the enforcers on the team with little actual playing skill... but seriously fuck your fighting and "legal" headshots if that means we all miss out on players like Sidney Crosby and numerous other great players who have had nothing but problems and short careers because of some head office faggots who are scared to change a few rules because they're afraid ratings will drop.

Fuck your ratings, I watch hockey to see highly skilled players like Crosby win gold for our country, I don't tune in to see a fight.

Seriously? You think that hits to the head are still allowed??


But fighting is actually a funny equation.

With fighting, each player gets to take it out with eachother and there will be a less likely chance that someone will be seriously injured. Who gives a shit about a black eye....whoop di doo. Both players get 5 and a game misconduct, the fans are entertained...everybody wins.

Keep both players in the game, more than likely, you'll see a dirty headshot, a boarding hit, or a hit from behind which WILL result in a serious injury.

no I don't think all out hits to the head are allowed, you misinterpreted what I wrote, that's why I specifically said "cheap" hits to the head, meaning the hits that are borderline illegal but still somehow stay within the boundary of fair play.
Every once in a while someone gets taken out for weeks or even months by hits like this.
Not to mention there's always been a head hunting mindset out there by the enforcers, we all know this to be true, that's what I'm talking about.

I'm a basketball player so I follow the NBA more so to me for example, if I saw some reserve 12th man come in and undercut Kobe Bryant on a layup on purpose and injure him, I would be pretty fckin choked.
The NHL clearly is years if not decades behind compared to other sports leagues on updating their rules and what's acceptable, and this all can be traced back to the fighting tough guy culture of the sport....
I love tough competitive guys go at it, doesn't matter what sport, it's what we love and pay to see, it's what makes these guys professionals... but something in the NHL clearly has to change, this whole debate within the pro hockey community didnt get this big without for no reason.

NO hits are allowed to the head.

^ ok thanks for reiterating what the rule book says.
Look if you wanna have a healthy debate about this I'm all for it, but it seems like you're just trying to win an internet forum argument. Quote the rule book and you're a 100% correct, no way you can lose right... great good...

so yea moving on for me for the other guys in this thread chip in with what you think, headshots are still in the game and it's a major problem, here I know this vid is old, but it's short sweet and to the point

Yep...no doubt that head shots 'will be in the game.' In reality, hockey is just too fast of a game for head shots to be avoided.

One instance that comes to mind is Chara/Pacioretty incident last year where Chara allegedly guided his head into the guard rail. It only looks like that in super-duper-über slow motion. However, Chara just turned around and finished the check...as all players are trained to do. Again..an incident where the game is just too fast for this kind of injury to be avoided.
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^ true true,
ah coincidentally was on my basketball sports news blogs and just found out the NBA is enforcing a new concussion policy. An excerpt from the outline of the policy they sent out today to various media outlets

The policies are quite simple. If an athlete suffers from a concussion during a game, they will have to sustain a series of tests before they can return to the court. Once free of symptoms, the player then has to go through a set of stages such as stationary biking, jogging, and non-contact team drills to assure that no symptoms return. All of the head-injury information, including the diagnosis, treatment, and any long-term impact will be kept on file.

All players are also required to get an annual baseline neurological exam and cognitive assessment.



for you hockey guys, how does this compare to the NHL's policy ??

Would you be shocked if I said years ahead of the NHL's concussion protocol?

Sounds like standard medical clearance. I'm not in the field of physio/medicine/health but it sounds like the same thing NHL players have to be cleared medically before they can play an officiated game.
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Current protocol in only in place for what happens during the game of the incident. Black room for 15 minutes, baseline testing etc.

My understanding, once the game ends, it is up to the player and the team's doctors to make any necessary decisions.

I played community football for 4 years all before concussions came to light (06-10). Big hits and no one really cared unless you got knocked the eff out. Most of the time it's "good it, you really kicked his ass!" I remember this one play where my QB got picked off and I got blindsided from a block from a D-lineman (He was 6'3 280, I was at 6' 220) and there was a space where I felt the impact and when I was on the ground.

Got up and walked to the bench and sat down. No trainer even came over to me even though I couldn't walk in a straight line to the bench.

incorrect. the NHL was the first league to start doing Baseline testing on all players and require players to meet targets before returning to play and that was before the concussion protocol was put in place this spring

Correct, but I'm still not incorrect. After the hit, player is placed in the dark room and then re-examined if they can continue to play that game.

Once the game end, that is it for what the league is put in place as part of their concussion protocol and it is up to the team and their doctors to decide when a player is able to return.

Fighting is part of hockey, fans argue

A new medical study that talks about the impact hockey is having to players and another call to ban fighting and head shots to hockey, as well as taking hits away from the game.