Blog follower and prolific commentator here, Don Brady, PhD, PsyD, NCSP is featured on ION TV’s “The Subject Matters” from May of 2014. The video is in two 15 minute chunks:
Dr. Brady is a very good resource and wealth of information. I suggest you take some time to check out his time on ION TV.
Definition of PANACEA: a remedy for all ills or difficulties. Even though there are many products and claims out there finding a panacea for the concussion issue is impossible at this point. Recently we have been examining the faulty claims made by companies about how they feel they can solve the concussion issue, mainly in sport. Realistically it is an exercise in misinformation and even borderline fraud; and the reason why is simple.
Every brain and individual is exactly that; unique. How can a product or protocol even come close to addressing the billions of people on this planet, let alone the millions that play sport. Bluntly, the only panacea for mTBI is to live in a bubble and don’t move, seriously, don’t move.
Peter Keating of ESPN has been on the forefront of the concussion issue in the NFL and everywhere else since at least 2007 and as part of the World Wide Leader’s series on concussions he recently wrote what me and other feel is a pure journalistic masterpiece. Before anyone starts claiming that I am against neurocognitive testing remember that I utilize this platform as well. The most decisive point I can make is that what we have now at our disposal are just a myriad of tools that can help us do the job.
Let us break down the Keating article a bit here;
Concussions have become big business in the football world. With 1,700 players in the NFL, 66,000 in the college game, 1.1 million in high school and 250,000 more in Pop Warner, athletes and families across the country are eager to find ways to cut the risks of brain injury, whose terrifying consequences regularly tear across the sports pages. And a wave of companies offering diagnostic tools and concussion treatments are just as eager to sell them peace of mind.[…]
There’s just one problem. Many scientists who are unaffiliated with ImPACT don’t think the thing works.
“Through amazing marketing, the ImPACT guys have made their name synonymous with testing,” says William Barr, an associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at New York University and former team neuropsychologist for the New York Jets. “But there’s a growing awareness that ImPACT doesn’t have the science behind it to do what it claims it does.”
Marketing is a huge business, affecting the thoughts and processes of potential customers drive sales, period. The issue becomes Continue reading
As of July 1st the state of New York’s law on concussions is in full effect. The key provisions are not un-similar to other states and include: each school coach, athletic trainer, nurse and PE teacher must take a course on concussions, suspected concussions will result in immediate removal, and anyone with a concussion cannot return to activity in less than 24 hours and MUST have a physician clear them.
WSYR of Syracuse, New York had a segment on the topic a couple of days ago, and you might notice the individual interviewed in the piece, non other than Dr. Don Brady – follower and commenter on this blog (click on link to see video);
According to experts like psychologist Dr. Don Brady, as many as 40% of kids prematurely return to play a sport after getting a concussion. “Think of a concussion as a sprained brain,” explained Dr. Brady. “You don’t ask someone who sprains their ankle to go out and see if their ankle’s okay and run around the track a couple of times to see how much better it is. You tell them to rest, period. We don’t do that with concussions.”
Dr. Brady says brain damage occurs when the brain ricochets in the skull after an impact.
“Basically, the brain is moving in the skull when Continue reading
Matt Chaney, who has been critical of the establishment on various subjects including concussions highlights what Jim McMahon and his group of NFL’ers have been saying in preparations for the law suits aimed at the league. The following excerpt from a Chaney post on his blog appeared in June of 2011, prior to all the suits (bold my emphasis);
Doctors and medical researchers have long agreed boxing can cause brain damage in athletes and lead to personality disorders and outbursts, through repetitive impacts both concussive and sub-concussive.
A 1973 study on postmortem evidence of 15 ex-pro boxers who suffered “punch-drunk syndrome” documented their “violent behavior and rage reaction” through interviews of relatives. Several of the boxers died in psychiatric wards.
Decades earlier, boxers who became demented and deranged were known as “slug nutty,” according to a 1928 report by Dr. Harrison Martland.
Meanwhile, yet today, the NFL and loyalist experts loathe admitting that tackle football even causes long-term impairment, much less off-field violence by players and chaos for families. Continue reading
There have been some very valuable resources to this blog, one who continually provides a vast amount of information both for posting and in the comment section is Don Brady, PhD, PsyD, NCSP, LMFT. He along with his wife, Flo, have written to often cited pieces of information on concussions. The first is the Communique on Sport-Related Concussions from the NASP. The second is the common myths associated with concussions. Let us not forget some the excerpts from his dissertation.
Recently Dr. Brady has sent me a couple of articles, neither of which were earth shattering in content, rather they were interesting due to the publication dates on them.
The first is a guest editorial by Allan J. Ryan, MD and appeared in The Physician and Sports Medicine, in 1987, 25 years ago (emphasis mine);
Rimel et all found that such events may be followed for weeks or months by symptoms and disorders of brain function that can be measured objectively. Gronwall and Wrightson found that persons who have sustained concussion show a reduced information-processing rate that may persist beyond 35 days when other post concussion symptoms (such as poor concentration, irritability, and fatigue) are present. Also, 20 young adults had less information-processing ability and took longer to recover following a second concussion that controls who had sustained only one concussion. Thus, a cerebral concussion is a serous event that is indicative of an injury to the brain, and should be taken very seriously.
Irvin Muchnick is a writer and investigative journalist who previously mainly focused on the WWE. Muchnick has changed gears a bit and started Concussion Inc, a website focusing on the head injury issue.
On Friday, on Beyond Chron, Irv Muchnick wrote about the appearance of a conflict of interest between the Centers for Disease Control and the National Football League, in regards to the upcoming panel and recommendations. In the article Irv was right to point out that the federally funded CDC is taking outside monies for the first time;
A CDC spokeswoman admitted to me that the NFL’s $150,000 grant for “Heads Up” marked “the first time the CDC Foundation has received external funding to help support” this initiative, which has a decade-long history encompassing various outreach to health care professionals and patients, school professionals, sports coaches, parents, and kids and teens. (CDC’s own funding for this program has averaged around $200,000 a year.)
Which brings into question who will be in control of the recommendations? Will the people shaping the foundation of concussion management, aimed at athletic trainers and doctors, actually have representatives in place? I am not talking about the usual suspects that may hold a MD or ATC tag – the ones who do Yoeman’s work in the research field – rather some of the “boots on the ground” if you will. Yes there are some Continue reading
I was very lucky to be sent the dissertation from Don Brady, PhD, PsyD, NCSP he wrote in 2004 titled; A Preliminary Investigation of Active and Retired NFL Players’ Knowledge of Concussion. This read has been extremely enlightening and I consider this piece, written in 2004, ahead of its time. It is a shame that some could not see what Brady saw 7 years ago.
Here are some excerpts I have recently thought about;
On page 93 of his work you can find a warning from Dr. Cantu from 1997, yes 1997;
A concussion warning notice that Cantu (1997) has proposed for football may also be applied to participation in all sports. More specifically, Cantu has advocated for the placement of essential information about concussion—symptoms and risk factors–on all football helmets. The neurosurgeon’s suggested message follows: Continue reading
In light of Tracey Meyer’s post about her son and his plight with a concussion, in particular the academic setting, I feel it is a good time to highlight the work of Don and Flo Brady. Don is part of the National Association of School Psychologists, and with is wife wrote an article about Sport-Related Concussions.
Below is the excerpt about the return to Play from the NASP Communique, Home, School and Social Settings;
Suggestions for Returning to Play, School, Home, and Socializing
The complex, varying, and individual central nervous system response to a brain insult and resultant concussion injury not only justifies but also requires a comprehensive assessment from a readily available and qualified multidisciplinary team of healthcare providers (McKeag, 2003). The utilization of a multidisciplinary team is particularly essential since consequences of a concussion include both neurological and nonneurological effects. Suggested members of this healthcare team may include the following: physician, neurologist, neurosurgeon, psychologist, neuropsychologist, school psychologist, teachers, school administrators, optometrist, ophthalmologist, coaches, athletic trainer, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, and physical therapist. Equally important is the Continue reading
Information about concussions seems to have been suddenly placed upon all of us; the information and management has changed multiple times since the mid 2000’s – maybe not. As early as the 1800’s other professions were relaying information to doctors that appear to symptoms of concussions (Caplan, 1995 – Erichson, 1997 – Keller, 1995), the authors focused on the railroad industry. Information about concussion and it’s debatable cousin, Post Concussion Syndrome.
Information about concussions and PCS has been documented very well by R.W. Evans as early as 1987, here is the list of his symptoms;
Matt Chaney has been busy this summer with work, but he found some time to forward a bunch of links regarding concussions. There were a lot dealing with the state laws and the mandates now in place across the sporting landscape, all with very valid opinions. Some dealt with his area of expertise, steroid and PED detection. However there was one that I must share with you; a link to a NASP Communique (National Association of School Psychologists)
The link was very resourceful but the gem was the attached .pdf that dealt with the myths we commonly hear with concussions. Due to the rudeness of ripping off all the information below you will see the myths they took on, and for the actual facts please click on the .pdf link above;
Identifying Concussions
The Concussion Blog 