Purdue

College Football Career Over Before It Begins

Dustin Fink2 Comments

What if you played and dedicated yourself to something that was about to pan out and never became a reality?  What if you set your sights on an ultimate goal and had it taken away from you?  Now what if that could have been staved off, by proper attention to detail and injury?

The last question is hypothetical, but it could be used in the case of Purdue recruit Mike Lee, who will never play due to concussions;

Lee played in one game last season but suffered a concussion in spring practice. The native of North Braddock, Pa., continues to deal with symptoms from the concussion.

Hope said both players will remain on scholarship, but will assume non-playing roles within the program. The scholarships won’t count against the maximum 85 allowed by the NCAA.

“There’s a master plan any time a guy is injured and no longer can participate in the sport,” Hope said. “There will be a couple more (scholarship) spots that will open up that we’ll have to fill.”

Although the article does not say, one can assume due to the nature of the sport the concussion Lee had in Spring probably was not his first.  It is tough to be a college recruit for any sport, but football may be the toughest.  After all the teams are looking for the best Continue reading →

Sobering Early Research

Dustin Fink3 Comments

Last October, Purdue University released their first study on concussions and hits that high school players take in a season.  The take-away message from that initial study was;

Purdue researchers who monitored the helmets of 21 Lafayette Jefferson High School players found that players may be damaging their brains even if they have not been diagnosed with a concussion.

Another year and another set of data brings the West Lafayette group (Evan Breedlove, Eric Nauman, Lenny Leverenz, Thomas Talavage, Jeffrey Gilger, Meghan Robinson, Katherine E. Morigaki,  Umit Yoruk, Kyle O’Keefe, & Jeffrey King) – called the Purdue Neurotrauma Group – back into focus, now beginning to confirm their working hypothesis;

“The most important implication of the new findings is the suggestion that a concussion is not just the result of a single blow, but it’s really the totality of blows that took place over the season,” said Eric Nauman, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and an expert in central nervous system and musculoskeletal trauma. “The one hit that brought on the concussion is arguably the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Using the same techniques of; neurocognitive testing, functional MRI and helmet impact telemetry the Purdue group Continue reading →

Purdue Guard Will Play

Dustin FinkLeave a comment

Ryne Smith of Purdue was rumored to have sustained a concussion leading up to the Boilermakers game today.  Reports are now that he did get hit in the head by teammate E’Twan Moore, on accident.

Smith had what he called an “extremely mild” concussion but has been cleared, practiced and declared himself healthy.

We all know how the blog feels about “mild” concussions, and it is a good time to talk about that again.  Let it be known that Purdue has done the correct thing, he has been out of action since Sunday and has been cleared.

SOURCE

New Purdue Study

Dustin Fink2 Comments

The Journal of Neurotrauma will be posting results of a new study on concussions.  Performed at Purdue University, the study looked into possible brain disruption in the absence of concussion symptoms.

The study was limited due to the low number of participants (21), but it may well lead to the expansion of these “sub-clinical” concussions and long-term effects.

One noteworthy case is Owen Thomas; his CTE and suicide, and the fact that he had never been diagnosed with a concussion.

Read the story Nat Newell wrote about this study at IndyStar.com.