As we progress on the concussion front there are many aspects of this PROCESS that we are still finding out about. One of the most pressing is how to treat the after-effects of the injury. Current management can help abate the symptoms of roughly 85% of those suffering from the injury, for the other 15% there are few “treatments” that have worked across the board. Off label use of FDA approved drugs has shown promise for some, like Hillary Werth;
Werth, a brakeman who was considered an Olympic hopeful, had her bobsledding career cut short by a series of concussions she suffered while competing in Germany and Canada.
Despite the injuries, she said she doesn’t regret her relatively brief time with the team. And she is thankful for the novel intravenous treatments she received after the concussions — treatments for which scientists are seeking Food and Drug Administration approval because they believe millions of stroke patients across the country could benefit.
The treatments Werth received from Washington, D.C., physician Bruce Rind, eased the chronic headaches, fatigue and short-term memory loss she suffered after the injuries, she said.
As a concussion “survivor” the chronic issues that come along with many (toooooooooooo many) bumps to the head are the most frustrating. I am not one to think that every approach will work for every person, after all this is a very unique sequale for each person. However Dr. Rind seems to be on to something, not only for those with chronic issues but other patient populations as well;
Rind invented the treatments and has used them for 17 years on patients with problems ranging from traumatic brain jury to stroke and concussion.
The treatment involves giving patients intravenous infusions of dissolved magnesium while the patient is breathing pure oxygen. Magnesium typically is used to treat patients with irregular heartbeat and pregnant women with preeclampsia, so Rind has provided the intravenous treatments to patients with brain injuries as a legal “off-label” use of the drug.
Rind has a financial interest in Relox Medical, a small company based in Bethesda, Md., that is trying to get FDA approval for the treatment, first in stroke patients, according to Dr. Bert Spilker, Relox Medical’s chief executive officer.
Relox already has completed a Phase 2 trial involving 83 patients that showed long-lasting and “extremely significant” results in more than three-quarters of the patients treated, Spilker said. Patients in the trial had suffered strokes in the previous three months to four years, he said.
Scientists measured improvement in strength and coordination — factors that determine whether patients can live on their own and conduct “activities of daily living,” he said.
For those interested in the pharmaceutical aspect of concussions this may be a good start in the right direction.
The Concussion Blog 