Everything you need to know about concussions and head injuries

Most young athletes dream of turning professional some day.

Most parents of young athletes dream of their child playing for the Springboks or for a professional team.

Both athletes and parents think of how their lives would change – the prestige, the wealth, and the fame.

But little do parents and athletes worry about the risks associated with their sporting choices.

Most professionals who have made it would say the rewards out-weigh the risks.

After a long career of heading the ball, taking tackles to the body and occasional hard blows to the head, imagine a world you loved so much beginning to betray you.

Kacper Przybylko of Philadelphia Union is attended to by the team doctor and evaluated for possible concussion during a Major League soccer match against Montreal Impact in New Jersey. Picture: Ira L Black Corbis/Getty Images

This is exactly how it feels for athletes that have had multiple concussions and find out that things are not as normal as they should be.

Concussions or trauma brain injury (TBI) have mild to severe levels and can cause a wide range of short or long-term changes.

These affect thinking (memory, reasoning), sensation (sight and balance), language (communication, expression and understanding) and emotion (depression, anxiety, aggression, acting out and social inappropriateness).

CTE – chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a degenerative brain disease that occurs through repeat trauma and affects how the brain works and functions.

The only problem with this disease is, it can only be identified after death and autopsy.

In a shocking discovery Associate Professor Michael Buckland discovered in two donated brains “distinctive and definitive:” evidence of CTE in two middle age RNL players who played over 150 games.

“I have looked at about 1000 brains over the last 10 years, and I have not seen this type of pathology in any other case before,” he said, speaking to Rugbypass.

ALSO READ: English rugby’s concussion figures second highest of all time

In America there is a lot of media surrounding CTE and athletes but not so much in rugby union leagues or football for that matter.

When last have you heard of a pro’ footballer or rugby player donating their brain to science.

This is precisely how important that research and discovery was, the first conclusive evidence found in rugby players.

This now opens up many more questions as to how many other players are suffering from the same conditions for which there is no cure or treatment.

It is estimated there is one concussion in every 3.35 games in professional rugby league and perhaps a much higher rate in youth rugby.

It is hard for professional players to tell anyone that something might be wrong,  because your position and livelihood is on the line.

Therefore, it is important for friends and family to pay careful attention and see if there are signs of changes in behaviour and/or the symptoms below.

Symptoms of CTE

• Memory loss
• Aggression
• Confusion
• Impaired judgement
• Impulse control problems
• Dementia
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Suicidal tenancies

Pre-sport screening

Every sportsman that plays contact sport should go for a pre-concussion scan and testing. This allows a base line test score to be established of what and how your brain functions in relation to various tests when it is healthy and functioning well.

When a concussion occurs, there are some short preliminary questions and tests that can be done on the field to ascertain the severity of the head injury.

Signs of a concussion

• A headache that does not go away with painkillers
• Dizziness
• Feeling nauseous
• Memory loss
• Clumsiness
• Feeling dazed and confused
• Changes in your vision and in more severe cases, bleeding from the ears.

If the signs are there, then you head off straight to the hospital for a CT or MRI scan.

Treatment for mild concussions

The very first question most competitive athletes ask the doctor after their consultation is when they can play again. Head injuries are not treated with the respect and caution they deserve and are often shrugged off as “nothing serious”.

When a concussion happens, get the treatment needed to heal your brain. Below is a simple strategy anyone can follow when they have had a low to mild concussion. Also, seek further advice from your doctor.

A simple recovery strategy

• Take a few days off and rest
• Cut down your blue light screen time, apply a filter
• No video games
• Don’t drive and avoid complex decision-making
• Avoid all sporting activities that involve roughness, eg:  mountain biking, hiking etc)
• Sleep helps the brain recover faster so schedule in a power nap during the day
• Good nutrition and food high in oxidants and anti-inflammatory properties
• Avoid stimulant drinks such as caffeine and alcohol
• Take your meds that the doctor prescribes and be cautious of taking aspirin

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