Research

International Summit on Female Concussions and TBI

Dustin Fink3 Comments

I am very excited to inform you and implore you to attend this first of its kind conference. Katherine Snedaker – a good friend and ally – along with her planning committee have done a wonderful job of creating a great place to discuss a subset of this head injury issue.

The International Summit on Female Concussions and TBI will be held a month from now at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. This summit is unique because this will only be about sex and gender-based research on females, from pediatrics to the elderly.

As much as we think we know about head injuries and concussions we don’t know squat, globally. Let alone in one gender over the other; females have been painfully overlooked/lack of attention because most of the noise and spotlight is on male dominated sports. Although, females choose to play many of the collision sports (rugby, hockey, lacrosse) there are other issues we know that impact females differently.

The summit is over two days and will eventually culminate in a consensus statement about female issues surrounding and within the concussion paradigm. This is also going to be a first of its kind, and appreciated at least from me.

The Topics (briefly summarized):

  • Menstrual Phase and its impact
  • Age and Sex and its impact on symptoms
  • Domestic Violence
  • Female Soldiers
  • Pediatrics
  • Female Sport Concussions
  • Concussion Recovery male vs. female
  • Female RIO Data
  • Clinical Spectroscopy of Female brain
  • Return to School
  • Social Interactions
  • Ice Skaters
  • Psychology of Concussoin
  • And more

Here are the presenters, moderators and planning committee members (as of this post):  Continue reading →

NCAA Reported-Concussion Study: Entering Week 6

noodle1 Comment

For quite some time now we have been compiling data regarding reported concussions in Division-I NCAA college football, taking note of rates of reported injury as well as the implications that such injuries have placed upon the players themselves.  As before mentioned in a post covering the absence of requirement in NCAA teams reporting injuries, we understand that this study will not be that of an exact science, but it should and will point to several issues on this subject.  The questions that we may raise from this study include inquiry on the prevalence of concussions in this level of football, how the injury is distributed amongst different age groups, how teams may or may not find purpose in not reporting concussions alongside other common injuries, how repetitive injury may impact one’s playing career, and most importantly- should the NCAA be required to report injuries?

Right now, such questions are left to debate and statistical evaluation.  Reporting concussions is analogous to reporting weakness in this level of play, and much so applies to all aspects of contact sports today.  What we have gathered through numerous resources made available online (and for that matter, it has been quite a challenge to track down concussions in the NCAA via Internet) is more so a statement to be made to the general public, for media fatigue and a lack of specialization to compartmentalize this injury aside from others has yet to be available to us.  This study intends on bringing more focus on concussions in college football, and hopefully may lead to more research-based and awareness-provoking paths.

As we enter Week 6 of the 2011-2012 NCAA college football season, here are the numbers to what we are looking at in relation to the incidents of concussions in Division-I programs… Continue reading →

Matt Chaney: Parts 3 & 4

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Following up on Part 1 and Part 2 of Matt Chaney, “pseudo-contributor”, looks at both “reform” and “research studies” as they relate to the NFL.  Chaney, although very outspoken on the matter has some very valid points, all worth just thinking about, at the very least.  His sources are some of the best and his writing is exceptional.

In Part 3 titled “Football Brain Trauma Can Twist Personality, Spur Violence“, he takes a look at how changes in mood and overall “being” are being avoided; with such strong words/connotations of “mental disease”, “depression”, “suicide”;

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.

In his latest, Part 4 titled “Research of NFL Brain Trauma Sputters Along“, he takes a look at the research involved, mainly longitudinal Continue reading →