Medical Alert !!!

I read about this in the paper last week.  Very interesting.  I'm glad to see on the sports horizon, coaches and trainers taking concussions much more seriously.  Our high school, where my daughter played field hockey, now does a baseline test before the student begins a sport.  My daughter got hit with a hockey ball in the face and had a minor concussion.  From a medical standpoint, it was interesting to see the change when they re-tested her.  She didn't get clearance to play until the trainer was happy with the results of the test when compared to her baseline. Another thing which is good, are better mouth guards customized to the athlete.  (I never knew until my kids got involved in high school sports that the mouth guard wasn't just protecting their teeth, its also for impact of concussions.)

I've been doing a lot of reading about the brain.  One of my kids had some neurological issues which got me reading.  He ended up being screened for MS through 2 MRI's and a lumbar puncture. (spinal tap)  Thank GOD, all of the totally frightening things were ruled out.  He has major TMJ issues,  likely because his orthodontist did not expand his upper palate enough when he had braces.  The lower jaw is not done growing until your early 20's.  In hindsight, his orthodontist did him a disservice...

Back to sports and head trauma, knowing what I've read now, these guys are banging around their heads unnecessarily with all that head butt stuff.  Some famous football player has already donated his brain upon his death for new studies that are being done.  Some of the brain/sport research is coming out of either Boston University Medical or Duke Medical, I can't remember.

Neurology is a fascinating and frightening area of medicine.  Neurologists walk on water IMO.

Cathy, hope you are feeling better. 

Chilling news for parents of young contact sports athletes.
Rick

This article is about NFL players and brain research being done at BU School of Med.

http://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm-news/2010/0 … niversity/