Concussions are mysterious ailments capturing national attention

BOB FLOUNDERS, The Patriot-News

One of the most serious injuries in sports rarely leaves much of a calling card. No broken bones or torn ligaments. There's no blood trail to indicate something is wrong.

Sports-related concussions occur 300,000 times a year on average. They can be difficult to diagnose and if left untreated, it can be frightening to live with. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), long-term effects from concussions include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other long-term neurological problems.

And concussions seem to becoming more prevalent every year.

Some of obvious concussion candidates are easy to spot, thanks to instant replay and high-definition widescreen television. A defenseless quarterback or wideout is on the receiving end of helmet-to-helmet hit. A hockey player's head bounces off the glass in the corner after taking an elbow to the head.

Others are not so easy to see. It doesn't take a major blow to the head to cause a concussing, just a jarring one, the slightest jolt that disrupts the normal function of the brain.

High school trainers and concussion specialists are used to treating football players for concussions. They're also treating field hockey players who suffering from them. It can happen to anyone, at any time.

"One of the most likely sports where you can see them now is women's soccer," said Ryan McGovern, a Central Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Services (CPRS) physical therapist who also works for Bishop McDevitt as a trainer.

And as awareness of what constitutes a concussion increases, along with awareness of the severity of the injury, high school coaches, administrators and trainers are taking a more serious, proactive approach to dealing with athletes and potential concussions.

"You worry about them week to week these days compared to season to season," Bishop McDevitt athletic director Tommy Mealy said.

"They're really being overprotective, which is a good thing."

"Wrestling is a collision sport and I know you can get them," said Cumberland Valley wrestling coach Dave Heckard, a former CV wrestling standout who also played football at Villanova.

"Knowing what I know, I'm not even messing around with them on this level. You hold kids out."

"The definition of concussion, literally from Latin, means to shake violently," said Dr. Micky Collins, the assistant director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Concussion Program, established in 2000. It is the largest research and clinical program in the country.

"Your brain is encased in fluid and when there is any kind of collision or contact that causes the brain to be shaken, you can have chemical changes in the brain that interrupts its function," added Collins, who estimates he sees 2,500 concussion cases a year, an average of about 15 a day.

"But they can be hard to spot because you can have one without structural damage to the brain, no bruising or swelling."

Sports concussions left untreated can have devastating long-term effects. The pro football world is full of cases of former players struggling after a series of concussions.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame center Mike Webster, who died in 2002 at the age of 50, was suffering from brain damage that resulted from numerous concussions. Another Hall of Famer, former Baltimore Colts tight end John Mackey, is battling Alzheimer's.

This past year, several NFL stars were affected by concussions, notably running backs Brian Westbrook and Clinton Portis along with quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner, who retired Friday.

On the collegiate level, quarterback Daryll Clark suffered two concussions while at Penn State, one of them two weeks prior to the Nittany Lions' only regular-season 2008 defeat, a 24-23 overtime loss to Iowa.

And former West Virginia star Pat White had concussion issues with the Mountaineers and recently received another one earlier this month while playing quarterback for the Miami Dolphins.

Hockey stars Eric Lindros, Keith Primeau and Pat LaFontaine also had their careers shortened due to concussions.

So how do you know if you're suffering from one? Therein lies the big problem. They're not easy to spot.

For more information about this article, please visit http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2010/01/concussions_are_mysterious_ail.html

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