Gus Kenworthy, after a wreck in Telluride last spring.
The concussion issue has hit the NFL hard lately in the court of public opinion. And rightly so. A feature film titled as such was released this spring detailing the discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in former players by Dr. Bennet Omalu. The last few years has seen a rash of public outcries from ex NFLers suffering from the affects of traumatic brain injury. Most tragically, however, and perhaps most telling, are the high-profile suicides of some of the NFL’s most iconic stars. Athletes like Junior Seau, the Oceanside, Calif.-raised linebacker whose fun personality and elite athleticism made him extremely popular.
Then there was the suicide of BMX and action sports icon Dave Mirra last winter in North Carolina. Mirra was found to have suffered from CTE. Events such as these are extremely sad, forcing everyone to take a look at the national past time, and the simple pleasures they love to enjoy outside. Anyone who’s ridden a skateboard, surfed, skied, snowboarded, or mountain biked, or for that matter participated in just about any outdoor pursuit, knows that taking a hit to the head often comes with the territory. That’s why so many recreational athletes wear helmets in some, if not all, the sports they choose to pursue on a recreational level. Head hits are dangerous, no matter what you’re doing. But how do you know if you’ve had a concussion, and furthermore, do you need to worry about CTE?
Well, first off, “concussion” is actually a pretty loose term. Essentially it’s a mild traumatic brain injury where that three-pound organ moves inside the skull and can happen a number of ways: from the usual collision with the pavement falling off a skateboard or bike to when your head meets your board in the water. You can even suffer a concussion after whiplash, as the body and head shake violently against one another like a dangerous pendulum.
There isn’t really a single symptom that says to a doctor, “hey, this guy just knocked himself silly and has a concussion.” Instead they look for a number of aspects to diagnose a brain injury. There’s a few obvious ways to know–like if you were actually knocked out, are suffering from amnesia or are dazed or dizzy. Doctors also use neurological tests that look at speech, the pupils, one or more cranial nerves as well as tests for motor and sensory skills.
Less obvious symptoms are vomiting, seizure and headache (children may suffer actual swelling of the head). In five percent of concussion cases people can suffer from bleeding or clotting in the brain and that’s what CT scans are looking for. Regardless, if you hit your head, see a light or any sort of change in vision or feeling, feel dizzy, nauseous or generally out of sorts, go see your doctor. I know none of you are dummies but caution is always stressed in these cases. Don’t mess with brain function.
And if you’ve taken multiple hits to the head in your chosen pastime that have caused symptoms like the above, it’s time to change the system: slow down on your bike, wear a helmet in the water (even if it doesn’t look cool), or maybe even choose something else to do. Because multiple brain injuries are what cause CTE, the debilitating disease that is affecting many athletes who’ve had multiple concussions.
There is currently no way to diagnose CTE in the living. Doctors look for degenerated brain tissue or tissue that has large stores of tau or other proteins using autopsies after death. Scientists are working on solutions to this that would include physical testing, and imaging and biomarkers that could identify those proteins. For now doctors are looking at speech, reflexes, muscle tone and strength, sight and hearing, balance and coordination–like if someone can still get up from a chair and walk across the room.
The main theme here with concussions and CTE is the amount of ambiguity involved. There aren’t any specific pharmaceutical drugs being prescribed to aid in the healing process (some medical circles are experimenting with marijuana as a treatment). Specific, over-the-counter pain reliever like Tylenol is being prescribed (apparently drugs like Ibuprofen, Advil and Motrin are a no-no because they may increase bleeding). The best treatment for people who’ve been concussed is rest with little to no stimuli, like television. So lots of people will skip seeing their doctors.
The real answer in all this unknown is to be careful. The brain is an extremely complicated life form all its own. Once you’ve been concussed, it’s easier for it to happen again, and that’s where one becomes at risk to develop CTE. So monitor your head and source your facts from as many different avenues as you can. No one can protect your health, and especially your brain health, as well as you can.
