From Warren KD4GUA:
This Sunday we will discuss "CONCUSSION" by request. It seems to be a hot topic especially in the sporting world especially to those of you now demented who played football in high school and who are now blaming it on the lead plumbing pipes.
Tune in should be fun--and keep those Deutschlanders off the freq by tuning in a little early so you can upset the CWers as well. Maybe we should all go CW and send out the message MOVE! If they are back, we may be up on 14.308 or down on 14.306.
Bob K4RLC contributed the following reply:
Saw you were going to be discussing sports concussions next Sunday.
Murphy has me at a church function at the same time as the net, so I'm
sending you some good articles on sports concussions.
Some consider me an "expert" in this area, as I am the
neuropsychologist on the Sports Medicine team for the Carolina
Hurricanes, professional hockey team. And work with the National
Hockey League Concussion management program. I'm also part of the
North Carolina High School Sports Safety Task Force, formed after
three high school football players died in sports related incidents in
NC in 2008. I am fortunate to work with Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, Chair
of the Dept of Exercise and Sport Science at UNC Chapel Hill. In fact,
two weekends ago, I was part of a symposium at UNC Sports Medicine on
Mild TBI in sports. Kevin is an internation expert on sports
concussions - you will see his work cited in the TIME article.
But, as you know, when the popular media latches onto a complex
medical situation, they tend to sensationalize and/or over-simplify
it. The good outcome is the increased awareness of concussive injury
in a subset of the millions of kids who play some form of sports,
either rec league or organized. One single uncomplicated concussion
should not be detrimental, and have good recovery. The problem is
multiple concussions; concussions with pre-existing problems such as
childhood migraines (or family hx of migraines), childhood depression,
ADHD, Tourette's, etc. This definitely complicates recovery. Also, if
there are two concussions relatively close in time, recovery can be
problematic. My wife Alanna, a pediatric neuropsychologist (and ham
K4AAC) and I are writing a review article on diagnosis and management
of pediatric sports concussions, and presenting at another regional
conference in April on this. The article is too rough to forward.
Of the attached articles, you get some of the most recent work in the
field. Ruben Echemendia, PhD is the head of the NHL Concussion
program, and worked at Penn State with Joe Pa. Steve Macciocchi, PhD
is a neuropsychologist at Shepherd Rehab in Atlanta. Chris Randolph is
our resident skeptic.
-A large part of our practice is now pediatric sports concussions. Of
course, you evaluate the kids from a BioPsychSocial approach, as with
any patient, as some are more functional than organic, or just
complicated kids. And, I'm also a concerned parent, as our son is a
varsity high school linebacker.
-Hope you enjoy reading this stuff, and sorry I can't make the net.
Always too much going on.
73,
Bob K4RLC
