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18 • Touchline • Issue 17
n a recent BBC news item it was reported that brain
scans show the damage caused by concussion months
after the injury and long after patients feel like they have
recovered.
The US study, published in the journal Neurology, compared
the brains of 50 people who had mild concussion with 50
healthy people.
The initial problems with memory, headaches and dizziness
cleared up after a few weeks. However, four months later,
doctors were still able to see differences in the way fluid
moved through the brain suggesting the brain still had not
healed.
Lead researcher Dr Andrew Mayer compared the impacts of
concussion to a burn in which the symptoms, such as pain,
can disappear long before the tissue has healed.
He told the BBC: “The big take-home message is that even
though people report feeling better, the brain might not be
completely healed.”
“In the US, after concussion, athletes sit out for a week or 10
days because that’s when people seem to be normal, but that
might be premature as it doesn’t mean the underlying tissue
is healthy.”
He said there was evidence that multiple small injuries in a
THE
HIDDEN DANGERS
OF
CONCUSSION
I
FOCUS ON CONCUSSION
Sportscover and Touchline have been
campaigning to increase awareness of the
dangers of concussion through the support
and sponsorship of Concussion Australia, an
initiative by Dr Ryan Kohler. Concussion has
become highly controversial in sport, with
concerns raised that players are putting their
brain at risk.
In the last edition of Touchline we covered
what concussion is, how to identify it and
the way in which concussion injuries should
be treated. This edition brings you further
research and news items on concussion.