New York Jets

Hey NYJ and Darrelle Revis READ THIS!

Dustin Fink7 Comments

When I saw the tweet from Greg Rosenthal yesterday “ ‏@greggrosenthal  The NFL should fine coaches for the use of the term “mild concussion.”  All I could think of was this post.

Originally posted in 2010

There is NOTHING mild about a concussion, period.  However media, teams, players and even medical staffs continue to use this nomenclature with this injury.  It is simply counterproductive to label this injury with a “mild” tag, and hampers the effort of everyone trying to increase awareness.

Granted, those that have extensive training in the area of injuries, and particularly head injuries, understand the term “mild” when it is in concert with concussion.  This subset of the population is not the one that needs the education, rather it is the general public, which includes players, coaches and parents.  A common problem amongst people who are educated in a particular field is that they forget about both who they are servicing and the education level of people other than their peers.  It’s a fine balance to educate without talking down to others, but understanding the stigmas of the topics help with that effort.

One serious stigma is the “mild” tag that is placed on concussions.  Those that watch and participate in sports are so used to using that clarification when assessing and addressing injuries as a whole, that perhaps it carries over to the traumatic brain injury just sustained by the athlete.  We as athletic trainers and doctors need to reassess how we describe this particular injury.

During my public speaking I often relate being “mildly” concussed to being “mildly” pregnant…  You are either concussed or not, just like you are pregnant or not.

Some may say that “the symptoms are mild”, or that the “prognosis of the injury is mild”, in terms of being sidelined.  The first may be correct the second is a slap in the face of those that study and deal with concussions on a daily basis.  So the symptoms are mild; no headache, slight vision issues, just “foggy”…  SO WHAT!!!  The insult to the brain that occurred has created a problem, Continue reading →

New HoF’er Talks Concussions During His Career

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Curtis Martin is being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame; if it weren’t for playing though concussions perhaps he wouldn’t be getting enshrined.  Martin didn’t exactly say that but reading between the lines you can see that the former and current (see Troy Polamalu) way of thinking needs to be adjusted;

The former Jets and Patriots running back, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next month, candidly recounted his teammates peeling him up from the turf, shaking him awake and guiding him toward the huddle for the next play.

“This was just the mentality, it’s no fault of the NFL or anything, it’s just a part of the game,” Martin told reporters today at a luncheon in New York, in advance of his induction. “When I would get hit, they knew that I popped up just like that, every time I get hit. … Any time that I didn’t pop up, my fullback knew to come pick me up because I was probably either dazed or knocked out.”

Martin said he was reluctant to share exactly how many concussions he suffered during his football career, because it has become such a hot-button issue in the NFL. But the total was “a lot … more than enough,” he said.

We have discussed this a lot and we will be Continue reading →

Sunday Recap

Dustin Fink2 Comments

As Football Sunday played out yesterday there was more attention on the head injury issue; naturally because the NFL set in motion – if only through reinforcement – a system to get players off the field in cases of overt signs.  The concern for head injury actually began two plays in, in New Orleans.

Tracy Porter collided with receiver Mike Williams and was obviously stunned and unsteady.  Porter took a knee for a brief second before he crumpled to the ground where he was attended to; spine board and med evac later Porter was released from an area hospital (BTW they are listing this as a “neck” injury).

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Not long after that, Dustin Keller of the Jets jumped in the air and landed on his back/head.  The officials did a good job of summonsing the med staff to Keller.  Keller was subsequently removed evaluated on the sideline and locker room, where it was determined that he did not suffer a concussion.  In an extremely rare occurrence, the Jets medical staff answered questions Continue reading →