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Head Injury Treatment Across Sports

From Slate.com:

On Saturday, University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow got crushed in the chest by a Kentucky defender. As he flew backward, a teammate's knee knocked into the back of his head and his arms went limp as he flopped to the ground. Tebow vomited on the sidelines several times after being carted off the field, and he was eventually brought to a local hospital. The diagnosis: a concussion.

The reports are "cautiously optimistic" that he'll be able to play against LSU on October 10.  For someone who was apparently unconscious for two minutes, that seems like an unhealthily quick turnaround for an athlete.  Dr. Robert Cantu, who devised the grading scale for concussions, says Tebow probably suffered a severe level of damage and should take as much time to recover as possible.

I bring this up because of the occurrence of (possible) brain damage to MMA fighters.  If I'm not mistaken (correct me if I am), all UFC fighters who lose via (T)KO are required to receive brain scans.  Obviously, this policy is necessary because the rotational forces from a blow to the head are more likely to induce traumatic brain injury than the head-on collisions of American football.  However, MMA fighters are usually aren't forced back into combat ASAP.  Part of this is the nature of the sport - they fight on a contract-by-contract basis instead of having an entire season planned in advance, so it's easier to sit out for extended periods of time (especially when there isn't as many sponsorships on the line).  The reports in the article about pro football players trying to be tough ("If your vision gets blurry, just hit the guy in the middle,") and furthering the damage is painful to read, and I'm glad many MMA organizations are aware enough of these risks to take monitor of their brain-addled fighters.

I've been knocked out once (kick to the head during a soccer game), and while it was the worst migraine I've ever had, I still felt as though I had to play on through the pain.  The desire to continue for a top-level athlete must be overwhelming, yet to ask them to entertain us after such a critical injury is unfair.  Thankfully, he is apparently getting top-tier treatment.  Good luck, mate.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.

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I highly recommend that anyone interested in head injuries in sports reads Head Games;

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1597630136?ie=UTF8&tag=longs-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1597630136

It really tells the truth on how dangerous football and other contact sports are.

by MMAEruption on Oct 1, 2009 6:55 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Sports that expect head trauma tend to handle it well – hockey and rugby are good examples – while sports that don’t expect it tend to expose their players to far more risk. Baseball is the best example of this, though inexplicably football doesn’t seem to think its players are at any risk of concussion, so it handles it about as well as baseball. Worse, even, as baseball trainers are generally ready and able to treat head trauma immediately (when catcher Gregg Zaun was knocked out after taking a knee to the head while sliding into second in 2005, the training staff was there immediately with a gas bag to help him breathe – but he was back playing after only 12 games), even if the after care isn’t so great (Damian Jackson didn’t even leave the game after being knocked unconscious following a collision with Johnny Damon in the 2003 post-season – and Damon was carried of the field on a backboard and neckbrace).

I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.

by Llewdor on Oct 1, 2009 7:30 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

This collision?

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by themachiavellian on Oct 1, 2009 9:32 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yes, that one.

Jackson KEPT PLAYING after that. Turning a double play could have killed him.

I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.

by Llewdor on Oct 2, 2009 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

i read that up to 20 ex nfl players are going to donate their brains to science

some wrestlers are doing the same thing. some boxers who have had long careers or short brutal ones have a much higher degree of getting dementia and alzheimers disease. in boxing it’s called pugilistic dementia. the scientists are going to see what concussions do to the human brain. i’m sure mma fighter’s will face a similiar path. chuck liddell was brutally knocked out three times in his last five fights. he needs to stay retired. football is not a contact sport, it is a collision sport. peace out!

by wolfmanshowlforever on Oct 1, 2009 11:04 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Not to mention

that he was knocked down in every single one of his last 5. A knockdown/ flash KO is also a concussion, and when you get KO’d cold it’s referred to (medically) as a severe concussion.

I agree that Chuck either needs to hang ’em up, or fight someone like Coleman as a way to go out on a win

Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.

'09 is the year of the FW's.

by ElliotMatheny on Oct 3, 2009 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

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