Chris O'Brien
"Sometimes I wonder if I’m even really here. I’ll save you my college-freshman exploration of existentialism and skip ahead to what I’m really writing about. Concussions and Post Concussion Syndrome.
I haven’t felt truly awake since I was 15.
I don’t actually remember what being alive felt like before then. I was playing hockey. Summer league. The underclassmen used the summer games to show their coaches what they could do, hopefully earn a spot on the varsity team.
I did. At a cost.
Years later, now, I assume I suffered a few concussions from ages four to sixteen, either on the ice playing hockey, in my back yard playing games with friends, or generally being an idiot young person who liked to run into things head first, figuratively and literally. My best guess? I have had about six concussions. This one was by far the worst.
It happened and for the next eleven minutes, I didn’t know I was awake. Later, those who watched the game told me I had been down on the ice, out cold, for at least ten or fifteen seconds. I have no memory of that. I was down and up instantly in my mind. Once I realized I wasn’t dreaming, I spoke up.
“I think something is wrong with me.”
I didn’t know what else to say. I didn’t know how to describe it. It’s like I was awake but I wasn’t. The coach started asking me questions. My teammates did a bad job of pretending not to be interested.
“What’s your mom’s name, Chris?”
“D… D-denise.”
“OOOH MY GOD, HE’S SO F@?$#% UP.”
“Shut it, Skip. Chris, do you know where you are?”
“Rhode Island.”
“Okay, where?”
I couldn’t answer.
I knew my parents’ names, where I lived, the major facts of my life. I didn’t know what city I was in. I didn’t know if it was April or August. I didn’t know if I’d ever stop feeling like this.
I got out of the game. Off the ice and straight into the showers. As soon as I felt the water, I felt better. At least I thought I did. I was embarrassed. I didn’t want to ask for any more help. I didn’t know how to ask anyway, or who I should be asking.
My dad poked his head in the locker room while I was still showering. Seeing me go down like that then leave the game must have been a little scary for him. We’ve never talked about it. He asked me if I was alright. I said I was. That’s the last of the attention this injury was ever given by anyone but me.
Years later, I still sometimes wonder if I ever came out of that dream-like state, post concussion. I have these ghosts of memories that sometimes phase through my mind at unexpected moments. I’ll be drinking early in the evening or floating in that late morning paradox between sleep and awake and suddenly I’ll remember what it used to be like to live in my mind when I was six years old. I’ll remember the smell of my old couch. The way everything towered over me and how it felt like I could get close to every object in my world in ways that seem impossible as a 27-year-old person. I remember remembering things. Everything.
My memory is very finicky now. The irony is almost nauseating, but I can remember having an amazingly sharp memory. Saying I had an eidetic memory would be an exaggeration, but not much of one. Prior to the injury, I never took notes in class and I never studied. I still had perfect grades. After, it was a bit more of a struggle.
Maybe my memory wasn’t (and isn’t now) as bad as I worry, but that’s kind of the point. More than anything, my concussion and the symptoms I’ve dealt with since have destroyed my confidence. I’m incredibly insecure, which only seems to make the problem worse. A feedback loop.
Today, I’m still trying to figure it out. Do I still suffer from Post Concussion Syndrome? How can I find out? Are the overwhelming feelings of anxiety and depression I’m dealing with almost daily a product of this? Is it because I moved 3,000 miles away from home, alone, to a big new city, to pursue a difficult career? Is it both?
Like so many with similar problems, mine is hard to explain. I can’t show a doctor where it hurts. When I try to explain what I go through to anyone but myself, I sound like an inconsolable hypochondriac. If I start talking about it at a party before I remember I don’t like to share this information in certain settings, I get suddenly, intensely embarrassed. If someone shows too much concern, I change the subject. I don’t want extra special treatment. I want awareness or maybe sensitivity, but…
Some, a few people very close to me, understand. They are patient. They nurture me. They allow me to practice all the odd habits I’ve developed, to maintain the safety-nets I’ve built for myself–extensive list-writing, always clipping my car keys to my belt loop or backpack with a carabiner, packing and carrying way more stuff than I know I’ll need for the day and taking it with me anyway rather than waste valuable time frozen and panicked that I’m forgetting something important but can’t remember what it is. The love they show me is deeply appreciated, though I could probably do a better job of communicating that sometimes. I forget.
If I look at myself and my life with sober eyes, I’m pretty functional. I have my problems, but they’re manageable. I have quirks, but they’re pretty stealthy. I tend to fly under the radar. Still, I sometimes wonder how my life might be different if I had received immediate medical attention when my worst concussion of my life happened at that hockey game.
Stigma stopped me from asking for treatment. Lack of education stopped others from offering it and insisting I take it."
The Dream and Nightmare State, Post-Concussion
Read more:
http://goodmenproject.com/featured-cont ... sion-jrmk/
concussions
Moderators: Mitch Hawker, east hockey, karl(east)
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
Two Top Forwards with Concussions
Two Top Forwards with Concussions
"With a short bench and a powerful opponent from far south in the state, Masconomet was up against it from the start against Barnstable.
In the end, Barnstable was the 6-2 victor of the first round state tournament girls hockey game.
“We had two of our top forwards out with concussions. We were definitely out-manned,” said second-year head coach Ryan Wood."
Masco Girls Hockey Falls in Opening Tournament Game
Read more: http://m.northofboston.wickedlocal.com/ ... /160308717
"With a short bench and a powerful opponent from far south in the state, Masconomet was up against it from the start against Barnstable.
In the end, Barnstable was the 6-2 victor of the first round state tournament girls hockey game.
“We had two of our top forwards out with concussions. We were definitely out-manned,” said second-year head coach Ryan Wood."
Masco Girls Hockey Falls in Opening Tournament Game
Read more: http://m.northofboston.wickedlocal.com/ ... /160308717
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
Doctors say the top three sports
"Doctors say the top three sports that can cause concussions are ice hockey, football and soccer."
Experts warn about concussions and sports
http://www.kolotv.com/content/news/Expe ... 92851.html
Experts warn about concussions and sports
http://www.kolotv.com/content/news/Expe ... 92851.html
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
Girls are twice as likely to suffer long-term concussion
Jenna Pietrantonio
"Girls are twice as likely to suffer long-term concussion symptoms as boys, according to a new Canadian study that may help to determine effective follow-up treatment for children with head injuries.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Tuesday, introduces a novel clinical prediction score to identify children who are most at risk for physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioural or sleep-related consequences a month or more after suffering head trauma.
Lead author Roger Zemek, a pediatric emergency researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, said the study is important to effectively refer high-risk patients for specialized treatment and to provide reliable answers for concerned parents.
...The study examined data from more than 3,000 children, both male and female, aged 5 to 18, who were diagnosed with a concussion at one of nine pediatric emergency departments across Canada from 2013 to 2015 – the largest group of young concussion patients studied in the world to date.
...One of the patients in the study was Jenna Pietrantonio, 19, who sustained a second concussion while playing hockey in September, 2013, and still finds herself healing from the effects to this day.
“I get headaches still, and a lot of ringing in my ears towards the end of the day. Sensitivity to light and noise is still kind of the issue to me, so sometimes when I’m watching TV, I have to wear sunglasses,” Ms. Pietrantonio said. “It’s impacted my memory, my social life, my family life, my ability to sleep or talk to people. Literally in any aspect you can think of.”
Her mother, Lisa, said that if she had known the lasting effects of what many professionals call “an invisible injury,” she and her family might have been better equipped to handle the outcome.
“I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. There’s no injury to see getting better,” she said of watching her daughter struggle. “We didn’t know what the right answer was, but we were hoping that we were doing the right thing for her.”
Dr. Zemek said older children and teens are also at a higher risk of long-term effects than children under the age of 8, based on the findings.
...Ms. Pietrantonio, now in her second year at Carleton University studying cognitive science, sustained her first concussion in 2009 and hid it from her parents for more than a month, experiencing headaches and mood swings.
“When we saw how she was conducting herself at home or in her school life with her friends, we just chalked it up to Jenna being a young teenager,” her mother said.
The implications of this study are great for parents, as Lisa Pietrantonio pointed out. “I’m so grateful that there’s something preventative, just so parents know that these things do happen and there is a protocol put in place. And a protocol that’s been validated and tested. I’m very excited about that.”
Girls at Higher Risk of Suffering Lasting Concussion Symptoms
Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... e29073321/
JAMA Network | JAMA | Clinical Risk Score for Persistent Postconcussion Symptoms Among Children With Acute Concussion in the ED
Review the study: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/mobile/arti ... id=2499274
"Girls are twice as likely to suffer long-term concussion symptoms as boys, according to a new Canadian study that may help to determine effective follow-up treatment for children with head injuries.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Tuesday, introduces a novel clinical prediction score to identify children who are most at risk for physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioural or sleep-related consequences a month or more after suffering head trauma.
Lead author Roger Zemek, a pediatric emergency researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, said the study is important to effectively refer high-risk patients for specialized treatment and to provide reliable answers for concerned parents.
...The study examined data from more than 3,000 children, both male and female, aged 5 to 18, who were diagnosed with a concussion at one of nine pediatric emergency departments across Canada from 2013 to 2015 – the largest group of young concussion patients studied in the world to date.
...One of the patients in the study was Jenna Pietrantonio, 19, who sustained a second concussion while playing hockey in September, 2013, and still finds herself healing from the effects to this day.
“I get headaches still, and a lot of ringing in my ears towards the end of the day. Sensitivity to light and noise is still kind of the issue to me, so sometimes when I’m watching TV, I have to wear sunglasses,” Ms. Pietrantonio said. “It’s impacted my memory, my social life, my family life, my ability to sleep or talk to people. Literally in any aspect you can think of.”
Her mother, Lisa, said that if she had known the lasting effects of what many professionals call “an invisible injury,” she and her family might have been better equipped to handle the outcome.
“I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. There’s no injury to see getting better,” she said of watching her daughter struggle. “We didn’t know what the right answer was, but we were hoping that we were doing the right thing for her.”
Dr. Zemek said older children and teens are also at a higher risk of long-term effects than children under the age of 8, based on the findings.
...Ms. Pietrantonio, now in her second year at Carleton University studying cognitive science, sustained her first concussion in 2009 and hid it from her parents for more than a month, experiencing headaches and mood swings.
“When we saw how she was conducting herself at home or in her school life with her friends, we just chalked it up to Jenna being a young teenager,” her mother said.
The implications of this study are great for parents, as Lisa Pietrantonio pointed out. “I’m so grateful that there’s something preventative, just so parents know that these things do happen and there is a protocol put in place. And a protocol that’s been validated and tested. I’m very excited about that.”
Girls at Higher Risk of Suffering Lasting Concussion Symptoms
Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... e29073321/
JAMA Network | JAMA | Clinical Risk Score for Persistent Postconcussion Symptoms Among Children With Acute Concussion in the ED
Review the study: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/mobile/arti ... id=2499274
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
Harry Carson was heartened to see the admission from NFL senior vice president for health and safety Jeff Miller acknowledging a link between playing football and developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) during a roundtable discussion on Monday before a congressional committee.
“I feel good knowing that he finally admitted it,” the former Giants’ linebacker, who dealt with repeated concussions during his 13-year career with the team, as well as his earlier playing days in high school and college. “When he acknowledged it, I thought it was a really great day for everybody, because this is not just an NFL issue, it is really a football issue and even more than that. It’s a contact sports issue. It’s ice hockey. It’s wrestling. It’s soccer — any sport where there are multiple blows to the head in the course of play.”
What’s next for NFL after acknowledging link between football and CTE?
Read more: http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnist ... #pq=lYT6YM
“I feel good knowing that he finally admitted it,” the former Giants’ linebacker, who dealt with repeated concussions during his 13-year career with the team, as well as his earlier playing days in high school and college. “When he acknowledged it, I thought it was a really great day for everybody, because this is not just an NFL issue, it is really a football issue and even more than that. It’s a contact sports issue. It’s ice hockey. It’s wrestling. It’s soccer — any sport where there are multiple blows to the head in the course of play.”
What’s next for NFL after acknowledging link between football and CTE?
Read more: http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnist ... #pq=lYT6YM
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
Concussions Affect Women
Concussions Affect Women More Adversely Than Men
Differences between how females and males experience concussions suggest the need for gender-specific prevention and treatment strategies.
Read more: http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... -than-men/
Differences between how females and males experience concussions suggest the need for gender-specific prevention and treatment strategies.
Read more: http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... -than-men/
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greybeard58
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- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
Jordan Leopold
Fmr. NHL Player Jordan Leopold Talks About Brain Injury Awareness
He and Brad Donaldson, the head of the Unmasking Brain Injury Exhibit project, sat down to talk about an event this weekend with Ali Lucia and Kim Johnson (3:25). WCCO 4 News At Noon – March 10, 2016
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/video/337 ... 1U.twitter
He and Brad Donaldson, the head of the Unmasking Brain Injury Exhibit project, sat down to talk about an event this weekend with Ali Lucia and Kim Johnson (3:25). WCCO 4 News At Noon – March 10, 2016
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/video/337 ... 1U.twitter
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
Dr. Jon Lieff explains brain injuries
"But to say you're doing this damage to your brain in high school, for the good of the school, seems to me to be unethical. I don't see any way around that."
Interview: Neuropsychiatrist Dr. Jon Lieff explains brain injuries in athletes
Read more: http://m.aol.com/article/2016/03/14/int ... /21327485/
Interview: Neuropsychiatrist Dr. Jon Lieff explains brain injuries in athletes
Read more: http://m.aol.com/article/2016/03/14/int ... /21327485/
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MN_Bowhunter
- Posts: 220
- Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2012 10:08 am
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
Payton Freeze
"Adding to the family's loss, the Freezes learned after Payton's death she suffered from CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is a condition doctors said she developed after getting a concussion while playing soccer in 2014."
VA Parents: Concussion, Bullying Contributed to Daughter's Suicide
Read more:
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local ... 37242.html
"Adding to the family's loss, the Freezes learned after Payton's death she suffered from CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is a condition doctors said she developed after getting a concussion while playing soccer in 2014."
VA Parents: Concussion, Bullying Contributed to Daughter's Suicide
Read more:
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local ... 37242.html
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
"Bennet Omalu, what would your advice be to pro hockey players who are still told by NHL no proven link between concussions & CTE?"
"STOP PLAYING!!!”
Online discussion between Rick Westhead, Correspondent with The Sports Network, former Toronto Star foreign correspondent, and onetime contributor to The New York Times and Bennet Omalu, the world's leading expert in forensic pathology and forensic neuropathology.
https://mobile.twitter.com/rwesthead/st ... 8817515521
"STOP PLAYING!!!”
Online discussion between Rick Westhead, Correspondent with The Sports Network, former Toronto Star foreign correspondent, and onetime contributor to The New York Times and Bennet Omalu, the world's leading expert in forensic pathology and forensic neuropathology.
https://mobile.twitter.com/rwesthead/st ... 8817515521
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
3 more stories
Jen Lute Costella
“Concussion Update from my doctor (who's a big hockey fan): You are definitely NOT cleared to skate, Jen.”
https://mobile.twitter.com/RosemarieSMo ... 1213014016
Rosemarie Moser, PhD at Women’s TBI Summit
“Dr Bauman #1 cause of concussion in her Canada clinic was hockey.”
“Dr Bauman explains that the older the athlete the longer the recovery – from her clinic data.”
https://mobile.twitter.com/RosemarieSMo ... 1213014016
Adam Estoclet
“Thank you to everyone who shared my article and emailed me.
It's been such an overwhelmingly positive response I can't even believe it. I have 1,700 emails in the past day on my phone. It's really eye-opening to know how many people are going through this, or who have been through it in the past. With this being such a vague topic, it's so nice for people to be able to talk about it. The hardest part is always explaining what you're going through.
Some people have told me they are on their 8th year of feeling symptoms. I am having a hard time keeping up with the emails obviously but I will eventually respond to everyone.”
https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comment ... e_and_one/
Hockey Cyl
"I've had some minor ones, but girls I coach have had more severe ones. We were 3 hours from home playing and one car had to have a completely silent 3 hour car ride home because a girl's noise sensitivity was so bad after getting one. It wasn't even from a big collision or a dirty hit or anything. Sometimes your head just gets hit right (or wrong)."
https://m.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/ ... e_by_adam/
“Concussion Update from my doctor (who's a big hockey fan): You are definitely NOT cleared to skate, Jen.”
https://mobile.twitter.com/RosemarieSMo ... 1213014016
Rosemarie Moser, PhD at Women’s TBI Summit
“Dr Bauman #1 cause of concussion in her Canada clinic was hockey.”
“Dr Bauman explains that the older the athlete the longer the recovery – from her clinic data.”
https://mobile.twitter.com/RosemarieSMo ... 1213014016
Adam Estoclet
“Thank you to everyone who shared my article and emailed me.
It's been such an overwhelmingly positive response I can't even believe it. I have 1,700 emails in the past day on my phone. It's really eye-opening to know how many people are going through this, or who have been through it in the past. With this being such a vague topic, it's so nice for people to be able to talk about it. The hardest part is always explaining what you're going through.
Some people have told me they are on their 8th year of feeling symptoms. I am having a hard time keeping up with the emails obviously but I will eventually respond to everyone.”
https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comment ... e_and_one/
Hockey Cyl
"I've had some minor ones, but girls I coach have had more severe ones. We were 3 hours from home playing and one car had to have a completely silent 3 hour car ride home because a girl's noise sensitivity was so bad after getting one. It wasn't even from a big collision or a dirty hit or anything. Sometimes your head just gets hit right (or wrong)."
https://m.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/ ... e_by_adam/
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
4 more stories
Bekka Nikki
“I just wanted a chance to say thank you for this article and sharing your story. When I was in high school, I got a wicked concussion my senior season and I tried to play through it. Needless to say it caught up with me in a big way and I do not play at the college level despite being recruited. I found that more of the issue with my playing now is mental not physical. I flinch away from checking for fear of going back to the place where I almost lost my college education (also in the Ivy system), but I miss the sport. Do you have any suggestions about a mind set to get over that fear? I've come back from normal bodily injuries and not had issues but this seems to be a sticking point for me.”
https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comment ... e_and_one/
Eric McErlain’s Cousin
“My wife has a 10-year old cousin who had her hockey playing stopped cold by a concussion. A freak accident.”
“Parental concern over CTE in football will reach youth ice hockey with similar impact.”
https://mobile.twitter.com/emcerlain?p=s
CWHL Writer Marc Dumont
“Concussion-like symptoms is an interesting way of saying brain injury.
“Hey, did you break your leg?
Nanh,. Just broken leg-like symptoms.”
https://mobile.twitter.com/MarcPDumont?p=s
Jill Wilson’s Daughter
“Our daughter plays non contact AA girls hockey and got a concussion from being tripped. Faster sport, hard ice.”
https://mobile.twitter.com/jillyw69?p=s
“I just wanted a chance to say thank you for this article and sharing your story. When I was in high school, I got a wicked concussion my senior season and I tried to play through it. Needless to say it caught up with me in a big way and I do not play at the college level despite being recruited. I found that more of the issue with my playing now is mental not physical. I flinch away from checking for fear of going back to the place where I almost lost my college education (also in the Ivy system), but I miss the sport. Do you have any suggestions about a mind set to get over that fear? I've come back from normal bodily injuries and not had issues but this seems to be a sticking point for me.”
https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comment ... e_and_one/
Eric McErlain’s Cousin
“My wife has a 10-year old cousin who had her hockey playing stopped cold by a concussion. A freak accident.”
“Parental concern over CTE in football will reach youth ice hockey with similar impact.”
https://mobile.twitter.com/emcerlain?p=s
CWHL Writer Marc Dumont
“Concussion-like symptoms is an interesting way of saying brain injury.
“Hey, did you break your leg?
Nanh,. Just broken leg-like symptoms.”
https://mobile.twitter.com/MarcPDumont?p=s
Jill Wilson’s Daughter
“Our daughter plays non contact AA girls hockey and got a concussion from being tripped. Faster sport, hard ice.”
https://mobile.twitter.com/jillyw69?p=s
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
"TB: As a whole, how good of a job is the NCAA doing to address these issues?
EP: There are rules in place, but there’s absolutely no accountability. It’s a shame. When implementing these rules, they need to think about their own families; what if that’s your son or daughter? They’re businessmen and so disconnected that these [athletes] are actually people.
To them, athletes are commodities, and I don’t see that dynamic changing."
“I Was A ***tshow”: Six Years After Her Last Concussion, Emily Peters Still Deals With Symptoms
https://thecauldron.si.com/i-was-a-PLEASE BAN ME ... .bt7f9ggap
EP: There are rules in place, but there’s absolutely no accountability. It’s a shame. When implementing these rules, they need to think about their own families; what if that’s your son or daughter? They’re businessmen and so disconnected that these [athletes] are actually people.
To them, athletes are commodities, and I don’t see that dynamic changing."
“I Was A ***tshow”: Six Years After Her Last Concussion, Emily Peters Still Deals With Symptoms
https://thecauldron.si.com/i-was-a-PLEASE BAN ME ... .bt7f9ggap
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
Nana Fujimoto
"The ‘Smile Japan’ have been the darlings of the women’s hockey world of late. They are the first Asian team to compete in the International Ice Hockey Federation, outdating China in the women’s competition by two years. They might have finished eighth in the Olympics at Sochi but were close to upsets over both Sweden and Russia. Last time out they swept Germany in two overtime games to avoid relegation.
Again Smile Japan smaller ties to Boston. Only three of their players play outside of Japan. One in Sweden, one in Finland, and then Nana Fujimoto who plays for the New York Riveters in the NWHL, she plays Boston six times a year in the regular season, then twice more in the post season.
Their fate rests in the very competent pads of Nana Fujimoto. She was able to steal some games for the outmatched Riveters this season. In the playoffs she missed game one due to the flu and came back for game two clearly still feeling the effects, she then got run over late in the first. She was investigated for a concussion but was allowed to continue, a short while later she gave up an incredibly soft goal to Jillian Dempsey, between her legs looking slightly dazed. She had suffered concussion issues all season so hopefully for Japan she has no lingering effects. If Fujimoto is healthy they should be able to avoid relegation."
A Bostonian’s guide to the 2016 IIHF Women’s World Championship
http://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/wome ... ampionship
"The ‘Smile Japan’ have been the darlings of the women’s hockey world of late. They are the first Asian team to compete in the International Ice Hockey Federation, outdating China in the women’s competition by two years. They might have finished eighth in the Olympics at Sochi but were close to upsets over both Sweden and Russia. Last time out they swept Germany in two overtime games to avoid relegation.
Again Smile Japan smaller ties to Boston. Only three of their players play outside of Japan. One in Sweden, one in Finland, and then Nana Fujimoto who plays for the New York Riveters in the NWHL, she plays Boston six times a year in the regular season, then twice more in the post season.
Their fate rests in the very competent pads of Nana Fujimoto. She was able to steal some games for the outmatched Riveters this season. In the playoffs she missed game one due to the flu and came back for game two clearly still feeling the effects, she then got run over late in the first. She was investigated for a concussion but was allowed to continue, a short while later she gave up an incredibly soft goal to Jillian Dempsey, between her legs looking slightly dazed. She had suffered concussion issues all season so hopefully for Japan she has no lingering effects. If Fujimoto is healthy they should be able to avoid relegation."
A Bostonian’s guide to the 2016 IIHF Women’s World Championship
http://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/wome ... ampionship
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
USWNT Stars
Hope we see some women's hockey players make this pledge
"The stars are aligning for researchers trying to learn more about how head injuries affect a woman’s brain.
United States women’s national team stars Abby Wambach, 35, who recently retired, and Megan Rapinoe, 30, announced on Tuesday that they plan to donate their brains for concussion research, according to The Lantern. Wambach and Rapinoe dropped their landmark decision during a discussion on Ohio State’s campus regarding women’s rights, gay rights and Wambach’s October retirement.
Wambach, a deadly header of the ball during her playing days (she scored 67 goals with her head for the USWNT), suffered one of the most infamous concussions in women’s soccer history in April 2013. After being hit hard by a ball during a National Women’s Soccer League match, her team failed to immediately examine her condition and for 11 days didn’t admit that she was at risk for a concussion — failings that U.S. Soccer eventually apologized for.
The pair’s decision follows former USWNT World Cup-winner Brandi Chastain’s March 3 pledge to donate her brain for chronic traumatic encephalopathy research, better known as CTE, a degenerative brain condition that’s been linked to repetitive hits to the head.
While Chastain, 47, Wambach and Rapinoe won’t have their brains studied anytime soon — CTE can only be diagnosed after death — their decisions, as the most high-profile female athletes to pledge, could help inspire other women to donate their brains for concussion research.
Out of over 300 brains currently in Dr. Ann McKee’s brain bank, only seven are from women. Despite representing 50 percent of the population, no woman has ever been diagnosed with CTE — a stark indicator of the gender gap in concussion research. Dr. Angela Colantonio, the Director of the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute at the University of Toronto, said at the first annual International Summit On Female Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) that of the 200 TBI studies she’s analyzed, only 7 percent contained sex-specific data, according to ThinkProgress.
The need for research is there. NCAA’s chief medical officer Dr. Brian Hainline has said that female college athletes in soccer, softball and basketball have up to three times a greater risk for a concussion than their male counterparts.
Not only are the chances of a concussion statistically higher for female athletes, but the stakes are too: Dr. Jessica Gill, a researcher at the National Institute of Health, said at TBI that women have higher levels of tau (the brain protein scientists look for in diagnosing CTE) after a concussion. The biological factors between men and women, including brain size, blood flow, hormone levels and neck strength all make it clear that male concussion research cannot serve as like-for-like information for women.
The worrisome reports from TBI hopefully spur a moral initiative for more female athletes to pledge their brains, because as of today, there just aren’t enough to study. Chastain, Wambach and Rapinoe are all World Cup winners and superstars in women’s sports. Their influence over women of all sports and athletes of all ages is vast and incalculable, but invaluable nonetheless.
Their March pledges to donate will undoubtedly shape the future of how female brains are impacted by blows to the head, but until a test to diagnose CTE in the living is conceived, dividends from their decisions won’t be seen for decades — a fact that current female athletes can ill afford to play through."
USWNT Stars Lead The Way In Concussion Research For Female Athletes
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_56fbf ... f5c6063916
"The stars are aligning for researchers trying to learn more about how head injuries affect a woman’s brain.
United States women’s national team stars Abby Wambach, 35, who recently retired, and Megan Rapinoe, 30, announced on Tuesday that they plan to donate their brains for concussion research, according to The Lantern. Wambach and Rapinoe dropped their landmark decision during a discussion on Ohio State’s campus regarding women’s rights, gay rights and Wambach’s October retirement.
Wambach, a deadly header of the ball during her playing days (she scored 67 goals with her head for the USWNT), suffered one of the most infamous concussions in women’s soccer history in April 2013. After being hit hard by a ball during a National Women’s Soccer League match, her team failed to immediately examine her condition and for 11 days didn’t admit that she was at risk for a concussion — failings that U.S. Soccer eventually apologized for.
The pair’s decision follows former USWNT World Cup-winner Brandi Chastain’s March 3 pledge to donate her brain for chronic traumatic encephalopathy research, better known as CTE, a degenerative brain condition that’s been linked to repetitive hits to the head.
While Chastain, 47, Wambach and Rapinoe won’t have their brains studied anytime soon — CTE can only be diagnosed after death — their decisions, as the most high-profile female athletes to pledge, could help inspire other women to donate their brains for concussion research.
Out of over 300 brains currently in Dr. Ann McKee’s brain bank, only seven are from women. Despite representing 50 percent of the population, no woman has ever been diagnosed with CTE — a stark indicator of the gender gap in concussion research. Dr. Angela Colantonio, the Director of the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute at the University of Toronto, said at the first annual International Summit On Female Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) that of the 200 TBI studies she’s analyzed, only 7 percent contained sex-specific data, according to ThinkProgress.
The need for research is there. NCAA’s chief medical officer Dr. Brian Hainline has said that female college athletes in soccer, softball and basketball have up to three times a greater risk for a concussion than their male counterparts.
Not only are the chances of a concussion statistically higher for female athletes, but the stakes are too: Dr. Jessica Gill, a researcher at the National Institute of Health, said at TBI that women have higher levels of tau (the brain protein scientists look for in diagnosing CTE) after a concussion. The biological factors between men and women, including brain size, blood flow, hormone levels and neck strength all make it clear that male concussion research cannot serve as like-for-like information for women.
The worrisome reports from TBI hopefully spur a moral initiative for more female athletes to pledge their brains, because as of today, there just aren’t enough to study. Chastain, Wambach and Rapinoe are all World Cup winners and superstars in women’s sports. Their influence over women of all sports and athletes of all ages is vast and incalculable, but invaluable nonetheless.
Their March pledges to donate will undoubtedly shape the future of how female brains are impacted by blows to the head, but until a test to diagnose CTE in the living is conceived, dividends from their decisions won’t be seen for decades — a fact that current female athletes can ill afford to play through."
USWNT Stars Lead The Way In Concussion Research For Female Athletes
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_56fbf ... f5c6063916
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
You can skate faster than you can run
"Noted astrophysicist and TV science star Neil deGrasse Tyson recently wrote: “A 250 lb. football player running 15 mph has more kinetic energy than the force of a bullet from an AK-47.”
...Playing for the sheer fun of it is disappearing for many young athletes in our society. Elite athletes are being groomed at ridiculously early ages. Pay-to-play programs are taking over youth sports. Physical education programs in K-12 grades are as rare as kids making up new stick and ball games. Research shows that play is essential to a child’s development.
The complex information that is being discovered, debated and litigated every day on the effects to the brain caused by full-contact sports is a challenge to all of those who want our future generations to be safe while playing sports they love."
Threat of concussions jeopardizing US youth sports
Read more: http://www.csnbayarea.com/article/threa ... uth-sports
"Noted astrophysicist and TV science star Neil deGrasse Tyson recently wrote: “A 250 lb. football player running 15 mph has more kinetic energy than the force of a bullet from an AK-47.”
...Playing for the sheer fun of it is disappearing for many young athletes in our society. Elite athletes are being groomed at ridiculously early ages. Pay-to-play programs are taking over youth sports. Physical education programs in K-12 grades are as rare as kids making up new stick and ball games. Research shows that play is essential to a child’s development.
The complex information that is being discovered, debated and litigated every day on the effects to the brain caused by full-contact sports is a challenge to all of those who want our future generations to be safe while playing sports they love."
Threat of concussions jeopardizing US youth sports
Read more: http://www.csnbayarea.com/article/threa ... uth-sports
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
A good interview
Young man only played 4 years of contact sport starting at age 11. Committed suicide 10 years later. Had CTE.
KTAR: James Goodnow Discusses the Pop Warner Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Listen at: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GgazVSVDH ... e=youtu.be
KTAR: James Goodnow Discusses the Pop Warner Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Listen at: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GgazVSVDH ... e=youtu.be
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
"Only 37 percent of high schools nationwide employ a full-time trainer, at least according to the NATA."
"Ninety percent of sudden deaths in sports result from four causes — cardiac arrest, heat stroke, head injuries and exertional sickling, according to a study entitled, “Sport Safety Policy Changes: Saving Lives and Protecting Athletes,” written by health professionals from UConn’s Korey Stringer Institute and the University of Washington’s Department of Family Medicine."
"Considering the 50 high school student deaths and thousands of other preps who suffered long-term injury last year alone, you’d think lobbying for rule changes would be a relatively simple process, but resistance to that change and cost, among other reasons, make it more difficult. So, the NATA and AMSSM boiled their meeting down to four easy solutions every state association should adopt."
Health professionals lobby for policy change in high school injury prevention
Read more: http://usatodayhss.com/2016/health-prof ... prevention
"Ninety percent of sudden deaths in sports result from four causes — cardiac arrest, heat stroke, head injuries and exertional sickling, according to a study entitled, “Sport Safety Policy Changes: Saving Lives and Protecting Athletes,” written by health professionals from UConn’s Korey Stringer Institute and the University of Washington’s Department of Family Medicine."
"Considering the 50 high school student deaths and thousands of other preps who suffered long-term injury last year alone, you’d think lobbying for rule changes would be a relatively simple process, but resistance to that change and cost, among other reasons, make it more difficult. So, the NATA and AMSSM boiled their meeting down to four easy solutions every state association should adopt."
Health professionals lobby for policy change in high school injury prevention
Read more: http://usatodayhss.com/2016/health-prof ... prevention
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
"The study, published Thursday afternoon in the Journal of Neurotrauma, found a correlation between the cumulative number of hits experienced by youth, high school and college football players and their later-life clinical outcomes. Researchers developed a metric that found the total number of hits to be a better predictor than concussion history of later-life depression, cognition and behavioral regulation.
“There has been a tremendous amount of growth in the last several years in the prevention, detection, and management of symptomatic concussions across all levels of play and all sports. That’s fantastic,” said Dr. Robert Stern, a professor of neurology at Boston University, director of clinical research at the school’s CTE Center and one of the paper’s co-authors. “The problem is that the focus on concussion has taken away from an appropriate discussion about the more common subconcussive trauma.”
Repeated hits to head more significant than concussions, new study suggests
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/r ... story.html
“There has been a tremendous amount of growth in the last several years in the prevention, detection, and management of symptomatic concussions across all levels of play and all sports. That’s fantastic,” said Dr. Robert Stern, a professor of neurology at Boston University, director of clinical research at the school’s CTE Center and one of the paper’s co-authors. “The problem is that the focus on concussion has taken away from an appropriate discussion about the more common subconcussive trauma.”
Repeated hits to head more significant than concussions, new study suggests
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/r ... story.html
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
"For many college athletes, their sport is as much a part of their identity as the other labels they take on: student, daughter, brother, friend. Most have been swimming, playing baseball or swinging a tennis racket their entire lives. They've come to college after starring in high school; they've grown up with lofty expectations of success and, often, perfection. Their identity becomes inextricably tied to their sport, and eventually, their performance.
..."Look at what you are besides a student-athlete, because that can go away in a hot second," Hansen said. "You can blow out a knee, or you're unable to continue because of concussions, or whatever it is. We want to support what they want to do, because they're coming to Michigan to play their sport, and we want to support that identity. But we certainly begin to plant the seeds that that's not all there is."
Michigan mental wellness program Athletes Connected aims to help student-athletes
Read more: http://espn.go.com/espnw/life-style/art ... t-athletes
..."Look at what you are besides a student-athlete, because that can go away in a hot second," Hansen said. "You can blow out a knee, or you're unable to continue because of concussions, or whatever it is. We want to support what they want to do, because they're coming to Michigan to play their sport, and we want to support that identity. But we certainly begin to plant the seeds that that's not all there is."
Michigan mental wellness program Athletes Connected aims to help student-athletes
Read more: http://espn.go.com/espnw/life-style/art ... t-athletes
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
another one
Catherine Longchamps
“I would have to say we overachieved,” he said, noting Calgary, Sherwood Park and Red Deer had a strong return of veterans this season while his team has the eligibility to retain all but five players from this year’s campaign.
“We had such great chemistry, the girls just got along so well.”
Local Catherine Longchamps is normally a part of the team’s defence, but was out of play in the tournament due to a concussion suffered earlier in playoffs.
Longchamps and Sutherland knew success while playing on the Raiders’ bantam team, winning gold at provincials in 2013-2014.
Raiders Take Provincial Gold
Read more: http://www.airdrieecho.com/2016/03/29/r ... ncial-gold
“I would have to say we overachieved,” he said, noting Calgary, Sherwood Park and Red Deer had a strong return of veterans this season while his team has the eligibility to retain all but five players from this year’s campaign.
“We had such great chemistry, the girls just got along so well.”
Local Catherine Longchamps is normally a part of the team’s defence, but was out of play in the tournament due to a concussion suffered earlier in playoffs.
Longchamps and Sutherland knew success while playing on the Raiders’ bantam team, winning gold at provincials in 2013-2014.
Raiders Take Provincial Gold
Read more: http://www.airdrieecho.com/2016/03/29/r ... ncial-gold
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
colder weather??
Could freezing cold temperatures be a factor in ice hockey concussions and injuries?
"NFL players have a significantly greater risk of concussions when games are played at colder temperatures, according to new research. The study, published in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine, also found that ankle injuries are more common on colder game days.
Greater emphasis has been placed on player safety in recent years, particularly when it comes to concussions, as a growing body evidence shows the head injuries are associated with a number of long-term health problems, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy(CTE).
"We were motivated by the high rates of injury in the NFL, and when we did our own review, we found limited evidence as to identifying risk factors for injury," David Lawrence, lead author of the study and a clinical fellow at St. Michael's Hospital, told CBS News. "This would be a potential target to help improve player safety so we thought we'd take the first step in trying to identify some."
The researchers analyzed weekly injury report data from the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 regular seasons for all 32 NFL teams. They identified the five most common injuries -- knee, ankle, hamstring, shoulder, and concussions -- and checked to see which, if any, external risk factors may have played a role.
The results showed NFL players had a two-fold greater risk of concussions and 1.5 higher risk for ankle injuries when games were played in 50 degrees Fahrenheit or lower when compared to games played in temperatures of about 70 degrees or warmer.
The study also found that an increased rate of shoulder injuries when games were played on natural grass compared to synthetic turf. Other factors, including altitude, time zone change prior to game, period in the season, or distance traveled to a game, were not associated with higher risk of any of the five injuries.
The study did not look at the reasons for the associations, but the researchers offer some theories.
"At colder temperatures, materials and equipment in the playing environment have a lower elastic potential and that may increase the impact forces that are transmitted during the game and increase forces to the head," Lawrence said.
He also noted that at warmer temperatures, players may be under-reporting concussions, instead falsely attributing symptoms to heat exhaustion or dehydration. During colder games, players often interact more closely with athletic staff on the sidelines to access coats, hand warmers, and other warming equipment, making it more likely that symptoms of concussions will be recognized earlier.
For ankle injuries, Lawrence explained that some of the body's reflexes may not work as well in colder temperatures, which might increase the risk of injury.
However, the authors said that at this time, there is not enough evidence to know whether the results can be applicable to injury prevention efforts by the NFL.
"Before any injury prevention initiatives or strategies are taken based on these or similar results, the results need to be replicated in multiple other studies with more robust data and larger data sets," Lawrence said. "This study is the first step and and highlights the discussion around this topic."
NFL concussions more common on colder game days
Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/nfl-concuss ... game-days/
"NFL players have a significantly greater risk of concussions when games are played at colder temperatures, according to new research. The study, published in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine, also found that ankle injuries are more common on colder game days.
Greater emphasis has been placed on player safety in recent years, particularly when it comes to concussions, as a growing body evidence shows the head injuries are associated with a number of long-term health problems, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy(CTE).
"We were motivated by the high rates of injury in the NFL, and when we did our own review, we found limited evidence as to identifying risk factors for injury," David Lawrence, lead author of the study and a clinical fellow at St. Michael's Hospital, told CBS News. "This would be a potential target to help improve player safety so we thought we'd take the first step in trying to identify some."
The researchers analyzed weekly injury report data from the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 regular seasons for all 32 NFL teams. They identified the five most common injuries -- knee, ankle, hamstring, shoulder, and concussions -- and checked to see which, if any, external risk factors may have played a role.
The results showed NFL players had a two-fold greater risk of concussions and 1.5 higher risk for ankle injuries when games were played in 50 degrees Fahrenheit or lower when compared to games played in temperatures of about 70 degrees or warmer.
The study also found that an increased rate of shoulder injuries when games were played on natural grass compared to synthetic turf. Other factors, including altitude, time zone change prior to game, period in the season, or distance traveled to a game, were not associated with higher risk of any of the five injuries.
The study did not look at the reasons for the associations, but the researchers offer some theories.
"At colder temperatures, materials and equipment in the playing environment have a lower elastic potential and that may increase the impact forces that are transmitted during the game and increase forces to the head," Lawrence said.
He also noted that at warmer temperatures, players may be under-reporting concussions, instead falsely attributing symptoms to heat exhaustion or dehydration. During colder games, players often interact more closely with athletic staff on the sidelines to access coats, hand warmers, and other warming equipment, making it more likely that symptoms of concussions will be recognized earlier.
For ankle injuries, Lawrence explained that some of the body's reflexes may not work as well in colder temperatures, which might increase the risk of injury.
However, the authors said that at this time, there is not enough evidence to know whether the results can be applicable to injury prevention efforts by the NFL.
"Before any injury prevention initiatives or strategies are taken based on these or similar results, the results need to be replicated in multiple other studies with more robust data and larger data sets," Lawrence said. "This study is the first step and and highlights the discussion around this topic."
NFL concussions more common on colder game days
Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/nfl-concuss ... game-days/
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
colder weather #2
"There may be a physiological explanation for why cold weather may increase the risk of concussions, said Dr. Will Panenka, a neurologist and psychiatrist at the University of British Columbia who specializes in traumatic brain injury. In colder temperatures, “your whole body is more tense and you might not fall the right way,” he said. “Your neck may not be as amenable to stretching, so the impact is more to your head.”
Study finds link between cold weather, increased risk of concussion
Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/hea ... e29476320/
Study finds link between cold weather, increased risk of concussion
Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/hea ... e29476320/
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greybeard58
- Posts: 2569
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm
The Perilous Aftermath of a Simple Concussion
The Perilous Aftermath of a Simple Concussion
Susan Pinker on how a concussion was both a personal struggle for her and a catalyst to study a phenomenon still only partly understood
Read more: http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-perilou ... 1459963724
Susan Pinker on how a concussion was both a personal struggle for her and a catalyst to study a phenomenon still only partly understood
Read more: http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-perilou ... 1459963724