Concussions are an everyday occurrence in a wide range of sports. Many patients are sports enthusiasts who have had one or multiple concussions over their lifetimes.
A concussion or mild traumatic brain injury, mTBI, isn’t limited to professional athletes. Many occure in youth sports or recreational exercise. You can get a concussion from falling off of your mountain bike, playing a pick-up game of basketball, being hit by a pitch in a softball game, heading a soccer ball, or just about any other kind of sports activity.
Facts About Concussions
According to the Marin Neuropsychology Center, over 2.5 million athletes sustain a concussion annually.
- As many as 10 to 20% of athletes involved in a contact sport will sustain a concussion each year.
- Only about 10% of concussions result in loss of consciousness. Symptoms may include loss of memory, dizziness, confusion, headaches, nausea, and sensitivity to light.
- A concussion causes a wide array of symptoms due to metabolic changes in the brain that affect the entire organ, not just one focal area.
- The effects of a concussion are cumulative for athletes who return to play before they fully recover.
San Rafael High School’s Anti-Concussion Program
Tim Galli, Athletic Director of San Rafael High School, is participating in a pilot program as the first school in the San Francisco Bay Area to test concussion monitoring technology in real-time.
“About 18 months ago, we started doing two things to protect our student athletes. First, we did a neurological baseline assessment for all athletes, including the King Devick test. Second, we began equipping our teams with wearable impact monitoring equipment to alert us of any impact above a certain force level.”
High School Football Team Wearing Concussion Sensors
“These sensors fit in a headband, a skullcap or a helmet on the back of the athlete’s head and they track the amount of force when an impact occurs. The players are alerted immediately when a certain force occurs and pulled off the field for further tests. If we’re seeing a high number of high impact strikes in football practice, we need to adjust an athlete’s technique. Any time that we can reduce risk, we’re at an advantage.”
Preventative Measures to Reduce Concussions
A preventative measure recommended for athletic organizations are having their athletes take two supplements: undenatured whey protein and N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC). These supplements boost the production of Glutathione, a very powerful anti-oxidant produced by the body. Not only does it help players avoid getting sick, it’s also critical in the control of inflammation — a major cause of ongoing and worsening symptoms post-concussion. Glutathione is available as a stand alone supplement, however, it is a large molecule and has trouble getting past the blood brain barrier unless it is taken in a liposomal form, (attached to a fat). Other neuroprotective supplements are Vitamin D and DHA, an Omega-3 fatty acid.
Chiropractic Treatment for Concussions
If there is a concussion, treatment goals would be to:
- Reduce inflammation
- Shift the tone of the nervous system from the sympathetic fight/flight mode to the parasympathetic, relaxed healing mode
- Relieve intracranial tension and restore fluid flow
- Relieve chemical to the brain
- Resolve other bodily injuries contributing to overall inflammation
All of these goals would be addressed with spinal and and extremity adjusting and cranial therapy creating the ideal internal environment for healing.
Recommendations
If you think you or your child has sustained a concussion it is always a good idea to have a medical evaluation which may include imaging to rule out a brain bleed. Take a break from sports and follow the return to play protocols. While kids tend to recover well from concussion the first time, a second impact, especially before healing from the first can create ongoing problems. Chiropractic treatment can speed recovery and lessen vulnerability to reinjury.
