Tag Archives: concussions

It was September of 2010, and St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Blake Hawksworth—in only his second season in the majors—was on the mound against the Chicago Cubs. In the fifth inning, moments after a pitch to Cubs’ outfielder Sam Fuld, a stadium full of people cringed to see Hawksworth on the ground, blood dripping from his face.

“I can remember the incident, and I can remember seeing the baseball,” said the young righthander. “I can still even hear it, the sound it makes coming at you.”

Hawksworth was just a split second too slow getting his glove up to prevent Fuld’s line drive from hitting him squarely in the face.

He was taken immediately to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a split lip and a concussion. A few stitches, some dental work, and a month later, and he was back on the mound.

“If it was higher, lower, who knows how bad it could have been,” he said. “It could’ve been my eye, who knows. It’s just such a blessing to walk out of that okay.”

Now, with the upswing in concussion awareness, he is looking for ways to protect himself and his fellow pitchers for when what happened to him in 2010 happens again. “I’m fearful of it for anyone,” he said, “because I know the effects it has.”

Hawksworth said athletes often don’t consider themselves vulnerable to head injury until they are faced with one themselves. “In any sport, there’s a sense of invincibility,” he said. “You kind of have that thought of, ‘Yeah, that’s scary, but the odds of that happening to me are slim.’ Until it happens to you.”

He said hearing about people that have dealt with head injuries and their side effects for the rest of their lives, let alone their playing careers, has motivated him and major sports organizations to seriously consider greater protection.

“It’s an issue that’s going to be addressed, and Major League Baseball I know for a fact is looking into it, and especially in the NFL – hockey, cycling, you name it,” he said. “Head injuries are the scariest injuries out there.”
After taking a look at the GelDefender head protection pad for caps and working with it off the mound, he said he thinks its subtlety, its comfort, and its cooling make it a good options for pitchers.

However, he said that regulated protection for players may be in the distant future for a very traditional sport like baseball.

“Unfortunately, there’s some vanity in sports, and people are hesitant to wear something that is different,” he said. “But I think at the end of the day people have families, and they have lives to live after they play. And they want to do everything they can to live a healthy life.”

Listen to audio excerpts from our interview with Blake here: https://soundcloud.com/geldefender

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

Some have speculated recently about the future of football, given recent head injury issues. So far, most seem to think that football will not be unseated from America’s sports throne and that, with better equipment and several rules changes, it’ll get through.

But, according to a recent Reuters report, another sport could be in more imminent danger: boxing. In the words of Dr. Calvin Inalsingh, head of the World Boxing Association’s medical advisory committee, “Boxing is the only sport in which the objective is to render blows to the head and body of the opponent so as to cause the opponent to be incapacitated."

It’s easier to alter football’s rules while keeping the goal of the game the same. Score touchdowns. Kick field goals. Keep the other team from scoring.

In boxing, the goal is to hurt the opponent. Hard hits aren’t a means to an end; they are the end. And while violence is somewhat inherent in football, it’s doubly true that violence is the essence of boxing. Not senseless violence, but violence none-the-less.

Boxing, like football, incorporates contact into its practices as well as its matches. Sparring sessions in boxing can lead to much head and body contact, even with pads that have been used for years in such practices.

One boxer taking the next step with his equipment is undefeated heavyweight Amir Mansour. The Wilmington, Del., native recently became the first boxer to supplement traditional sparring head gear with the new GelDefender head pad.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

Astute observers of this winter X-games in Tignes, France, will notice something missing this time around. Past events always included a grand finale of sorts, much like the “cherry-on-top” to the entire competition. As contestants competed throughout the week to reach such pinnacle events as the Ski Slopestyle final or the Superpipe, observers began to get excited about the adrenaline-charged moment: the Best Trick Event.

The Best Trick Event typically included the best and brightest snowboard or snowmobile artists. However, because of the ongoing investigation into the untimely death of X-games snowmobile rider, Caleb Moore, ESPN and the X-games have discontinued the event. The accident occurred in January when Moore’s snowmobile flipped and landed on top of him. Though there was a scramble to uncover him, it was already too late. The danger of these events stems from the competitors’ continuous struggle to push the envelope with bolder moves or better variations.

For example, the 360 degree rotation was once the gold standard in the skateboard/snowboard world. However, once the trick was performed successfully, many were able to eventually mimic it with practice, and the quest to go one step further than ever before continues. Unfortunately, the X-games and ESPN believe this overzealous nature will eventually cause greater accidents like Caleb Moore’s. Greater protection for athletes is key in ensuring greater athlete safety during tricks. Hopefully, with better protective equipment, the Big Trick Event can be safely returned to the Games, as fans will undoubtedly be disappointed this year.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

With the shortened hockey season nearing its halfway point, we need to take stock of the reality of the game today. The game used to be played in a much more physical fashion, and hockey was known as a brute’s sport. Incredibly, hockey helmets were once an optional piece of equipment for players.

A recent sports science report from ESPN shows that though helmets are no longer an accessory, they may not be doing enough to prevent injuries. The report revealed that although NHL players are about 20% smaller than NFL players, NHL hits can be 17% harder than hits from NFL players. Due to the shape and coverage of regulation helmets, hockey players are not adequately equipped to deal with the impact of multiple hits.

The results of these findings coincide with the current events in hockey. The NHL has been rocked by concussions (11 in just the past two weeks), according to the New York Times. Brendan Shanahan, the NHL’s VP of hockey and business development and head disciplinarian, has made it clear that players will be held accountable via suspensions and fines, for hits targeted towards other players’ heads, but many concussions stem from legal hits to the body. The game, as well as the equipment requirements will have to be reevaluated soon. At the rate it’s going, it’ll need to be done sooner rather than later.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

Many combat veterans have been returning from war time duties with traumatic brain injuries. While this is a huge problem, it is not the only concern that health-care professionals, the public, and the families of these men and women need to be aware of. According to ScienceDaily, a number of troops reportedly afflicted with blast-induced traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are now showing signs of vision problems.

Enough data now exists to prove a positive correlation between the two, and the preliminary results look to be quite astonishing. Patients who have experienced blast-specific TBIs are 30% more likely to have vision problems than those who have not. These vision problems fall into a general category, with some troops reporting decreased vision, light sensitivity, and more.

A burning question moving forward: If there is indeed a strong correlation between blast-induced TBIs and vision problems, is there significant correlation between concussions, or general TBIs and vision problems? If so, to what extent, and how severe?

We already know that a concussion checks includes a quick vision screening. However, we don’t know how severe the long-term effects of concussions are on vision. Gregory L. Goodrich, PhD, of the Palo Alto, CA, Veteran’s Affairs stressed the need for further testing on those who suffered from non-blast-related concussions.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

In a recent interview with The New Republic, President Obama was asked a tough question that lurks in the minds of football fans everywhere: Does he “take less pleasure in watching football, knowing the impact that the game takes on its players”?

It’s an uncomfortable question – not one with a cut-and-dry answer and not one we like to contemplate. Now that we know how harmful those hard hits are to the men making them and the men taking them, are we still just as happy to watch the concussions-in-progress as we were when ignorance was bliss?

The President, a self-proclaimed football fan, acknowledged the danger and need to change. He said football fans, himself included, are going to have to come to terms with the idea that the game might have to become less exciting in order to make it safer for the players, and then perhaps fans “won't have to examine our consciences quite as much.” He admitted that if he had a son, he’d have to think long and hard before letting him play the game.

He also stated that he worries about college players more than NFL players. He said NFL players are unionized and old enough to make the decision to takes the risks, and most are “well-compensated for the violence they do to their bodies.” One the other hand, he said college players are younger and have nothing to fall back on when faced with brain injury.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

While sports concussions are an important segment of the traumatic brain injury issue, less-publicized but equally important are those suffered by our service men and women in combat or even before. Reports from the Pentagon indicate that an average of 16 concussions were suffered each day of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan during the spring of 2011, the highest pace of any period in 10 years of combat.

The causes of brain injuries during combat are vastly different from those during athletics. Blasts from explosives have been the most common cause of combat-related concussions for our troops in Afghanistan, according to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. And one blast can cause more than one concussion to a person. The scope of the people affected by these injuries is not insignificant.

The number of concussions in Iraq and Afghanistan reported each year steeply rose in the last several years, from 808 in 2005 to 3,880 in 2010, according to USA Today. Much if not all of that increase is attributed to more attention given to potential concussions and improvements in battlefield diagnosis, which are good. But by the same token, the difference between the numbers could represent thousands of undiagnosed brain injuries during combat over the past decade.

It’s not only during combat that concussions are a concern, either. A startling report by National Public Radio in August 2012 revealed the preliminary results of a study of military brain injuries during training, a study which centered on Fort Hood in Texas. According to the preliminary findings, hand-to-hand combat training classes saw a concussion about every other day over a nine month period. Six percent of the soldiers in those classes said they’d been hit in the head and were suffering the symptoms that indicate head injury.

While these numbers are disturbing, measures are being taken to better protect our troops. In the last year, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veteran Affairs, the Army, and the Navy have all made extensive efforts – including funding research, working with the NFL, and screening and treating soldiers more successfully – to fight these “invisible wounds of war.”

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

In a recent article, a Texas coach stressed that concussions are occurring more often as a result of the public’s lack of education regarding head injuries. Many people already know that concussions occur most often as a result of severe collisions. However, an often-overlooked truth about head injuries is that they're not always caused by person-to-person collisions. The sport that reported the second highest number of concussions was girl's soccer, caused by repeatedly heading the ball and colliding with the goalpost.

According to Kenneth Locker, manager of sports marketing for Texas Health Resources, these sub-concussive hits are dangerous because players (especially in youth sports) are often not removed from games afterward. Youth players who continue to play in a daze are actually at incredibly high risk for even more serious brain injuries.

Locker also points out that it takes younger players much longer to recover than adults. So, if the games are not properly spaced out, athletes can be put in precarious positions. Even if they sit out an entire the game, they might not be prepared to play the next, but most coaches play them anyway. Mishaps like this could hinder players for the rest of their careers.

Teach your children (or your youth players and coaches) to learn about recognizing sub-concussive symptoms. And take time to implement complete sideline tests for medical staff. Protect your players and your communities with information that can help them enjoy the game without being subject to its negative effects.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

Despite the mounting evidence against the long-term effects of concussions and the manifold endeavors to make sports as safe as possible with safer rules, little by way of innovative equipment improvements has been made on any official level. Outside initiatives – such as the GelDefender™ – have been undertaken, but little from the inside of sports.

So it’s equal parts baffling and impressive that some from the motor racing world have taken the initiative to make a giant leap forward in football helmet design. Especially when considering that racing has generated very little negative concussion attention – with the glaring exception of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s concussion that took him out of two races.

Bill Simpson, established racing equipment engineer, and Chip Ganassi, owner of several winning racing teams, have together formed Simpson-Ganassi Helmets to create a new football helmet.

It’s still being perfected, and only a handful of players are wearing it. The padding used on the inside is completely new technology, which is all very hush-hush. The vague descriptions provided give little away as to the science behind the padding and how it relates to concussions.
 

That aside, none of the above-mentioned handful have had a concussion with it on. If it proves itself on the field and the kinks get worked out of it, it could very well be a future staple of the game.
 

If that is the case, then we celebrate a safer game for the future. And no matter how this helmet pans out, we celebrate a couple guys willing to go out on a limb to try to make the sport safer, even if it isn’t even theirs. Or maybe especially because it isn’t theirs.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

This past weekend yielded several incidents that piqued curiosity and started some very serious conversations in the sports world.

The first is the rise (and fall) of two relatively obscure cornerbacks in Seattle. Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner were quickly becoming two of the biggest reasons the Seattle Seahawks have the NFL’s number one secondary. For both of these players, this placement is a giant step in the right direction. Both were late-round picks and cut from the Canadian Football League. However, following suspicion that they were playing a bit above their talent, both cornerbacks were tested for PEDs. The tests found positive results for Adderall, and now both face four game suspensions if their appeals are disregarded.

Another of our highlights hit hard – literally. After taking a hard hit on Sunday, Denver QB Peyton Manning was taken into the locker room and evaluated for “concussion-like” symptoms. The jury is still out on whether or not he suffered an actual concussion, but one thing is clear. After the incredible year the Denver Broncos are having at the hands of Peyton Manning, they can’t afford the possibility of losing him for two weeks due to a concussion.

In other NFL news, longtime Jets superfan Ed Anzalone is retiring as “Fireman Ed,” a surprise to many fans, as he has been an iconic figure in the Jets Metlife Stadium seats. Although he attributes his decision to unruly Jets fans who taunt him into confrontations, many suspect the Jets’ terrible state is fueling his choice to hang up his helmet. He is well-known for having received the game ball from coach Rex Ryan after the Jets upset the Patriots in 2009. Whatever the reason may be, it is truly a sad day for Jets fans everywhere.

What was your favorite highlight from the weekend?

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.