CONCERNS WITH MULTIPLE CONCUSSIONS IN SPORTS
Should you be concerned if you have had multiple concussions?
Dr. Santa Maria Answers
We have some big concerns about concussions in sports, and susceptibility to concussions which we’ll get to later on in this article.
Robert Cantu, who's the Chief Neurosurgeon for the NFL, who says, "I wouldn't have my kid play peewee football." That’s a big statement, and there are definitely some pros and cons to it.
“Younger athletes who get concussions do need extra rest, however, the incidents of concussions are so much less in peewee football, than it is in middle school, and it gets higher in high school, and all the more high in college, and the pros.” ~Dr. Santa Maria
In College and Pro sports, as fit and strong and massive as these guys are, it's Newtonian physics; they're bigger, they're stronger, but they're also faster. That means they're colliding with guys that are just as big, strong and fast!
The risk for concussions is actually higher in pro athletes, almost like a car crash scenario, and lower in something like peewee football. The injury incidents are actually low at a young age.
On the other hand, if you have a young athlete who’s had concussions in kid’s sports, and now their getting some in high school—you've got to be a little concerned for their function long-term.
It's very rare that we have to shut an athlete down, but too many concussions and protracted symptoms with concussions that are getting more and more noticeable is called Post Concussion Syndrome. It's not the permanent problem necessarily, that is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is... but it's still a concern, and it can be a functional life-long causer of headaches.
They may still be sharp as a tack, and examples of athletes that had to shut down from their career, but are still doing high-level things: Troy Aikman, Steve Young — are sharp as a tack, but if you get too many head injuries and you're getting protracted symptoms, you have to be a little concerned.
So, you might be wondering, "How likely is an athlete to have injuries that severe?" Probably unlikely, but if one seems to have a tendency and a susceptibility to having concussions, at a very young age and early entrance into sports, and those concussions become more and more frequent, that's a big concern. A very big concern.
The main risk factor for having another concussion is having a first concussion, to begin with. There's a little susceptibility that happens there that we need to watch out for.
Schedule an appointment with Dr. Santa Maria or any of our Sports Medicine Physicians at Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio today!