There are twenty different sports on the Summer Paralympic program run parallel to the Olympic Games. “Paralympic” is a word derived from the Greek preposition παÏ�ά, pará (“beside” or “alongside”) and thus, refers to a competition held parallel to the Olympic Games. The Summer Games of 1988 held in Seoul debuded the  the term “Paralympic,” prior to its official use.

Building on the great success of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, Canada is looking to continue its winning ways for the future.

The Canadian Paralympic Team is aiming to finish in the top eight nations at the London 2012 Paralympic Summer Games, based on gold medal count. This goal was established in collaboration with Own the Podium, Sport Canada and all summer National Sport Organizations.

At the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Summer Games, Team Canada placed seventh overall, winning 19 gold, 10 silver and 21 bronze medals for a total of 50 medals.

Canada expects to send between 130 and 150 athletes competing in 15 sports: athletics, archery, rowing, sailing, shooting, boccia, judo, cycling, wheelchair fencing, swimming, wheelchair tennis, wheelchair rugby, equestrian, wheelchair basketball, goalball.

The 100 days to London milestone happens on May 22^nd when athletes Victoria Nolan and Justin Karn meet Prince Charles in Toronto. This day is part of the Royal Tour that will feature the athlete’s village for the coming Toronto Pan/Parapan American Games. The Canadian Paralympic Committee is also promoting the events with a Facebook contest during this time, where one lucky winner will receive a trip to London to the Paralympic Games.

Wednesday, May 23^rd, I will be joined by three paralympians  LIVE at BEYONDtheCheers. Elisabeth Walker Young is an accomplished Paralympic swimmer and the Assistant Chef de Mission for Team Canada. Canadian Paralympic Committee’s “Super Athletes” Victoria Nolan is a rower and Justin Karn is an athlete in the sport of Judo. Join us in conversation @ 7PM EST at BEYONDtheCheers on blogtalkradio. Dial-in TOLL FREE 1-877-357-2448 in Canada and United States to ask a question, talk with us or e-mail in advance.

Article source: http://www.beyondthecheers.com/paralympics-the-real-olympic-games/

But as his career ends (even though some think he’ll be back), Williams dismisses the link between concussions and brain damage.

Which perhaps conclusively proves it.[...]

“I’m only speaking from my personal experience, because I haven’t allowed myself to buy it, and I haven’t been affected.  Yes, I’m aware that football is a rough sport, but instead of saying, ‘Oh — I’m doomed to brain trauma,” I said, ‘What can I do about it?’  And I just started taking care of my body.  I found people, places, and things that really helped me — again, I don’t know what’s going to happen to me in 10 years, but I look at the other things I’ve learned about, and the way I see the world.

Maybe it was his dreadlocks that provided extra protection when he played, or perhaps it was his medicinal use of the wacky tobaccy, what ever it was it seems that Ricky is like many in the pro football world – head meet sand.

Mounting evidence has not shown a direct link, but what it has shown is that people who participate in collision sports show disproportionately higher rates of such things as Alzheimer’s, dementia, and even CTE.  Will there be a conclusive link one day, I don’t know, but logically thinking ramming your head thousands of times against objects cannot be improving your brain health…

Can it?

Tags: Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk, Ricky Williams

Article source: http://theconcussionblog.com/2012/05/16/ricky-being-ricky/

Sweat had a concussion in college and prior to the mini-camp he had an accident that made the decision easier to pursue a law career;

Then on the morning he was preparing to report to training camp last Friday, Sweat slipped and hit his head in the shower. Not that hard, he said. But hard enough to cause his concussion symptoms to return. So he took the final slip as a sign and decided to end his career as a football player, realizing that he’d been struggling with his decision to give football another chance all along.

“When I fell, it scared me,” Sweat said. “Football is not worth my health. It’s really important to me that I’m able to have a family and a life after football. Football is a great game, but when you have a concussion like that, it’s not worth it.”

It wasn’t just headaches or dizziness that brought major concern for Sweat, it was the depression and mental fogginess that wore on him.  He was also a player that hid a concussion and then felt the wrath of not being completely brain healthy in a game against Purdue;

Sweat’s most serious incident occurred at Purdue on Nov. 12, when he wobbled off the field after taking a relatively light hit during the game. He’d actually suffered a concussion in practice the Wednesday before the game and didn’t tell anyone, and it got worse during the game.

“When I walked off the field at Purdue, I couldn’t even stand up,” Sweat said. “I couldn’t feel my fingers or my hands, I was numb everywhere. It was really scary.”

Sweat has a great message for others that may face the same decision;

“Some people, football is the only thing they have, so it’s hard,” Sweat said. “So I can understand it. But I think there’s a fine line between being smart and tough.

“Sometimes people get lost in the game of football. They don’t think about injuries, and they ignore things. I enjoy too many things. I’m too well-rounded to have critical damage to my brain and body.”

Credit to Doug Lesmerises of The Plain Dealer, great interview.

Tags: Andrew Sweat, Cleveland Browns, Doug Lesmerises, Ohio State University, The Plain Dealer

Article source: http://theconcussionblog.com/2012/05/16/law-school-yes-football-no/

Josh Thole returned to Citi Field Tuesday for the first time since suffering a concussion in Philadelphia last week, bringing news both positive and alarming: The catcher has been symptom-free since Friday, but estimated that he has already suffered three or four concussions in his professional career.

“I don’t know the grading system of a concussion, but I got whacked pretty good in ’07 and ’08,” said Thole, 25. “The one in 2007 I think was more significant, just because I had vomiting and stuff like that. In 2008, it was more whiplash than anything, but I think it was still graded a concussion.”

Thole obviously needs some education regarding the fact that we don’t grade concussions any longer, however he does realize he has had a history, which will help in his recovery;

The catcher, on the seven-day disabled list, hoped to be cleared for light exercise shortly. he also expressed optimism that this concussion was not severe. Still, he stressed caution, and mindfulness of the potential severity of head injuries.

“It’s something that you don’t want to rush back into,” he said. “You want to definitely build back up. You just want to listen to what the doctor has to say.”

I can speak from personal experience of a catcher the many innocent looking foul balls and the helmets hitting your head seem like nothing and getting a little “stary eyed” after each one was part of the game and position.  What we didn’t know is that our brains had been rattled, effectively causing a concussion.

There is a track record for concussion and catchers, the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals – Mike Matheny – ended his playing career due to concussions.  Here is to hoping Thole can recover and continue a great career.

Tags: Catcher, Josh Thole, Mike Matheny, New York Daily News, New York Mets

Article source: http://theconcussionblog.com/2012/05/16/in-retrospect-not-the-first-concussion-for-catcher/

OPEN LETTER

May 15, 2012

Dear IHSA – Executive Directors, Board of Directors and Sports Med Advisory Board:

I am writing this letter to address the growing concern of concussions in sports, mainly in football.  It should be noted that football is not the only sport with a concussion issue; however this sport combines the highest participation, highest risk, and highest visibility.  This letter should not be construed as an attack on the sport of football, but rather a way to keep the sport continuing to grow.

As a licensed and practicing Athletic Trainer, researcher, commenter, father, and survivor of too many concussions, I feel that in order to keep the sports we love, proactive steps must be taken.  Often being proactive is a painful process and easily dismissed because of the trouble it will cause.  I urge all involved to think about what the future of all sports will be if nothing is done.

The Illinois State Legislature with the IHSA took the initiative by creating a mechanism of concussion education and awareness in response to the mounting scientific evidence of potential long-term impairments resulting from mishandling of this injury.  However, this only represents a first step in the process; passing out a flyer or having parents and athletes initial that they have read the information is one small element of the issue.  Another crucial element of the issue is coaching. We must ensure that those we entrust with the care and leadership of our children understand that the first step in concussion management is removal of an injured athlete from play.   On May 13, 2012 Chris Nowinski, Director of the Sports Legacy Institute of Boston University, was the keynote speaker at the Illinois Athletic Directors conference in Peoria.  He asked a crowd of 200+ Athletic Directors (ADs) to raise their hand if they were using the Centers of Disease Control’s (CDC) “Heads-Up” program for coaches – a short video about concussions – to inform and educate their staffs.  I asked Nowinski how many AD’s put up their hand; “Zero, as in none, and it was shocking.” The program is free and is already widely used in Chicago by the Public League schools.  The notion that downstate schools’ are missing the point amplifies the need for concussion education.

Scientific evidence is showing growing concern over long-term issues related to multiple brain traumas.  Given the litigious nature of our society, it is only a matter of time before the sanctioning bodies of high school sports will be named as defendants regardless of their liability.  This would threaten the very existence of all sports played in our schools.

Recent evidence suggests that even the subconcussive hits – those that effectively “rattle” the brain but do not produce signs or symptoms – become problematic as the season wears on, let alone a career.  As the researchers in this field gain focus and more specific diagnostic tools, I feel we will see damning evidence that will put collision sports in jeopardy as they are currently constructed – the key being “as they are currently”.  There can be a change, both positive and proactive, that will signal to everyone that the IHSA is taking this matter seriously and can set a nationwide standard.

Attached are proposals the IHSA should consider in order to fully grasp the concussion issue as it relates to football.  Moreover, the IHSA should seek to adapt the proposals to apply to other sports including but not limited to soccer and lacrosse as they also have high incidences of concussions and sub-concussive injuries.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Dustin J. Fink, MS, ATC

PROPOSALS

2012-2013 – Proposal (Boys Football)

Amend/Add By-Law

Submitted by: Dustin Fink, MS, ATC – Athletic Trainer

———–

There shall not be more that two (2) full-padded and full-contact (any sort of collisions) days for any one player during the week from Sunday to Saturday.  This would include both practices AND games.

Rationale of Submitter

Subconcussive and cumulative hits represent a silent problem in all sports, particularly football.  It has been my observation and the observation of other professional health care providers that the majority of football concussions occur after the fourth week of regular season action.  It has also been an observation that the student-athletes who compete on multiple levels (JV/Varsity or Freshman/JV) represent a disproportionate number of concussions in football.

In both cases – time of season and multiple level of play – the issue could be attributed to excessive accumulation of hits.  This would be consistent and supported by the “Hit Count Initiative” by the Sports Legacy Institute of Boston University (see attached).

Reducing and limiting contact is also consistent with such entities as the NFL (only 14 full-padded and full-contact days allowed all season outside of games) and the Ivy League who limits contact days to twice a week as well.  This measure will decrease exposure to brain traumatic forces and cost nothing to implement.

This proposal would also include pre-season and two-a-days.

As for “policing” this by-law it will have to be self-monitored like a vast number of current by-laws in place.

==========

2012-2013 – Proposal (Boys Football)

Amend/Add By-Law

Submitted by: Dustin Fink, MS, ATC – Athletic Trainer

———–

There shall be at least 24 hours between full contact practices and/or games for each individual.

Rationale of Submitter

Allowing the brain to rest after exposing it to traumatic forces will only help with limiting the cumulative effects of brain trauma. (See previously submitted proposal for 2 contact days for further rationale)

Possible Problems:

-          JV game on Saturday where some varsity players may be needed

-          Using a player in a varsity contest who played on Thursday

-          Exposing a player to a full-contact practice on Wednesday then needing them in a contest on Thursday.

Regardless of the immediate concerns, this issue will take creative and new problem solving techniques.  I would suggest the following:

-          If you cannot have independent rosters for each level of football then perhaps there should be a contraction of teams

-          If you have enough but need them for practicing then I suggest a modified game/practice week (this will have to be adopted by conferences)

• Sunday – Rest
• Monday – Junior Varsity Contest
• Tuesday – No hitting practice
• Wednesday – Full contact practice
• Thursday – No hitting practice
• Friday – Freshman Contest prior to Varsity Contest
• Saturday – Rest or no hitting practice or Freshman Contest

==========

2012-2013 – Proposal (Boys Football)

Amend/Add By-Law

Submitted by: Dustin Fink, MS, ATC – Athletic Trainer

———–

A certified Athletic Trainer or Physician (MD or DO) must be present for all contests.

Rationale of Submitter

They are the only allied health care providers allowed to assess and clear student-athletes for concussion in the state of Illinois.  It is only natural to have one on site for each contest.  Preferably one of the above health care providers should be on site for all full-contact practices or contests.

Cost is a barrier, understandable, however schools, districts and conferences must get creative to clear this hurdle.  This initiative should be paramount to keeping sports going.

Tags: IHSA, Open Letter, Proposals

Article source: http://theconcussionblog.com/2012/05/15/open-letter-and-proposals-to-ihsa-about-concussions/

Heading into this expansion season I was looking forward to the better reporting of concussions in the AFL.  Last year the league and press drew harsh criticism from me for what I believed to be intentionally hiding the injury.  Heck the ‘Super Footy’ section of the press stopped reporting ALL injuries for a four-week period as I was posting the injuries, and when it returned it was EXTREMELY rare to find anyone listed as a concussion so we turned to another website called Sportal.  As the season progressed we found more concussions and by the end of the season last year we had our first picture of footy concussions over a season.  Looking back one of the primary problems discovered and remedied by seasons end was the high number of facial fractures that seemed to be overriding a concussion, hence the need for Fink’s Rule.

It is now 2012, with the heightened awareness there is hope that a “truer” picture of AFL concussions can be taken…  and the season started out promising with 21 listed concussions over the first six weeks (preseason and training included 18 in season).  However in week number seven, the same week the Australian press started to clamor about the concussion issue, ZERO concussions.

As we enter week number eight, it will be interesting if we see a decline once again as the ‘heat’ has been turned up, for reference there were four concussions in week eight last year.  Speaking of last year, even though there was zero reported this past week the number of concussions – 21 is nearly double what it was this time last year – 11.

I don’t foresee a doubling of concussions from last year (46), however I do see a significant increase…  IF THE LEAGUE, PLAYERS AND PRESS COVER THE INJURY CORRECTLY.

Tags: AFL Concussions, Down Under, Fink’s Rule

Article source: http://theconcussionblog.com/2012/05/15/2012-footy-concussion-report-1/

From ABC news in Australia, Jeffery Rosenfeld the director of neurosurgery at Alfred Hospital in Melbourne feels that three concussions over a life-time in football should disqualify you from competitive and full contact forms of the game;

“I personally would say three significant concussions, three strikes and you’re out. I would be a bit wary of that player going back,” he said.

“They can still play sport but perhaps not the rough and tumble and risk associated with the tackling in a contact sport like football.”

Concussion in sport – and particularly in rugby league, rugby union and Australian rules – is now a hotly debated issue, with parents, players, coaches and administrators increasingly focused on the potential long-term brain injuries which may result from repeated head knocks.

And Professor Rosenfeld has found an unlikely ally in Australian rules great David Parkin.

“Jeffrey’s one of the more astute, I think, and well-balanced in terms of what needs to be done,” Parkin said.

“As a parent and as a grandparent that will stick in my gizzard from now on as I watch my grandchildren go through the same processes – because I think coming from him who has probably got as much knowledge as anybody else in this country about those issues – that seems to be pretty strong advice and something that we should maybe adhere to.”

The concussion issue is picking up speed in Australia, once a country I felt was in the know but for some reason was behind in implementation of their information on sports.  If you recall we were contacted by a group in Australia for some insight from across the Pacific and the hopes it would bring clarity.

The only problem with such a hard limit is that the reporting of the injury can take a nose dive if the athlete is facing an early retirement due to brain trauma.  Also of concern is that one concussion can be enough for some people, so playing to the threshold of three can cause further damage.  Concussions are a case-by-case injury but caution should be adhered to and thought MUST be given to ending the high-risk playing if brain injury is becoming and issue for a player.

One thing that is becoming undeniable is a quote in the Australian article from Carolyn Mountford, director of the Centre for Magnetic Resonance in Health in Australia;

We’re at the stage now where we can say, ‘Yes, repetitive hits to the head does cause a difference to brain chemistry’. Whether we can do anything about it remains to be determined.

Tags: ABC (Australia), Carolyn Mountford, Down Under, Jeffery Rosenfeld

Article source: http://theconcussionblog.com/2012/05/14/concussion-hard-limits/

They have been called the greatest football team in the history of the CFL — the Edmonton Eskimos of the 1970s and ’80s that won five consecutive Grey Cups. But, for some of the star players on that team, the years of triumph ended ingloriously in early deaths, from heart attack, suicide and misadventure. The tragedy of those early deaths was often compounded by alcohol or drug addictions, probably caused by another, less visible, killer. Recent research by neuroscientists now shows the link between on-the-field concussions and brain damage; a permanent injury that can lead to depression, suicide and severe aberrant behaviour. The damage is so profound, the researchers say, that post-mortem examinations of the brain tissue of five former professional football players can be compared only to the tissue found in the brain tissue of advanced Alzheimers cases.

Unfortunately I cannot embed the piece you can CLICK HERE to see it in full.  You will get to hear from very important people who are not nearly as “high-profile” as the Boston group; Dr. Julian Bailes, Garrett Webster, son of Mike Webster and Dr. Bennet Omalu.

Tags: CBC, CFL Concussions, Dr. Bennet Omalu, Dr. Julian Bailes, Garrett Webster, Mike Webster, The Fifth Estate

Article source: http://theconcussionblog.com/2012/05/14/greatest-football-team-ever-in-canada-head-games/

Montgomery County school officials are weighing efforts to screen high school athletes for concussions and similar head injuries linked to Alzheimer’s-like disease and suicide.

Superintendent Joshua Starr said Tuesday that his staff is drafting a memo on concussions, while school board member Patricia O’Neill asked for a report on the cost and implementation of baseline screening, which would allow doctors to compare athletes’ brain activity before and after injuries.

“I know our budget doesn’t have an inch to spare,” O’Neill said, “but our students’ health obviously has to be paramount.”

As the board mentioned there is not much money there, so why are they entertaining the thought of using baseline tests?  It is just a tool that is often highly criticized for its results.  I feel that if baselines are needed then deals should be made with local doctors that use the tool and are trained to use the tool.  By deals I mean the baselines be given away or at a significantly high discount, then the doctors are in control.  Perhaps if the schools have outsourced athletic trainers the place of employment of the AT’s can defer or absorb the cost.

The point is that a Walt Whitman HS parent by the name of Tom Hearn made a pretty good case in his testimony in front of the school board but it did not include adding a cost, rather using common sense and removing some of the hitting in practices;

Good morning, Superintendent Starr and members of the Board, I am Tom Hearn and I am a Whitman High School parent.  I wanted to talk with you further about concussions in high school football and other sports.  It may not be highlighted in the job description, Dr. Starr, but you are the senior safety officer for sports in MCPS, and this may be the most important position that you play.

In sports vernacular, Dr. Starr, you are the Blind Side left tackle for the 2,400 MCPS students who play high school football and the 20,000 or so other high school athletes.

No one ever died from a bad academic education, but high school student athletes die or get serious brain injuries each year from football and other sports.  On a practical level, concussion interferes with a student’s ability to participate in academic education because his recovery depends on cognitive rest, which means reduced school work.  So concussions can really be a drag on AYP.

Football accounts for over half of the concussions in high school sports.  Emerging research, however, shows that subconcussive blows to the head also pose a serious risk to the human brain.  Studies have shown that high school football players sustain an average of 650 subconcussive blows to the head in a season.

Among student athletes playing the offense or defensive line, the number of subconcussive hits per season can be as high as 2,200.  (Please see the attached “Hit Count” Proposal by Dr. Robert Cantu of the Sports Legacy Institute and Boston University.)

Doctors believe that over time, these subconcussive blows can lead to an Alzheimer’s-like brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE.  CTE has been confirmed in several deceased NFL players and is suspected in NFL great Junior Seau’s suicide last week.  Seau’s family has donated Seau’s brain so that it can be autopsied to confirm the CTE diagnosis.

In light of this and similar research, what has been done?  In 2011, NFL players negotiated that teams are permitted no more than one full-contact practice per week.

The NCAA still permits 5 full-contact practices per week and two-a-day practices.  Last July (2011), however, the Ivy League imposed a 2 full-contact practice limit per week  in football.  The Ivy League also banned all two-a-day full padded football practices.

The Ivy League took this action based on the leadership of two of their university presidents who are medical doctors.   The Ivy League too this action on their own because their presidents felt that getting a consensus on such limits from the NCAA could take years and they thought it was too urgent to wait.   That’s what smart people do when faced with imperfect data about a serious health issue.

Although there is NO SCIENTIFIC or DEFINITIVE link to the collection of hits and CTE or Alzheimer’s the association is very high and simply taking a day or two of hitting away not only makes sense but it costs NOTHING.  I cannot fathom why a cash strapped school district would consider adding costs when they say they can’t; when there is another viable option that costs $0.00.

Good work by parents like Tom, keep up the pressure and we can make football safer (Matt Chaney just slammed his fist on the table, ha).

Tags: High School Football Concussions, Montgomery County, School Board, Tom Hearn

Article source: http://theconcussionblog.com/2012/05/14/parent-urges-school-board-to-take-a-look/

Sports Safety Summit Brochure, 2012

You can see the brochure above and you can go to their website for further information about this event.  I highly suggest your attendance, and I will make every effort to get out that way again this year.

Tags: ATSNJ, Eric Nussbaum, Continuing Education

Article source: http://theconcussionblog.com/2012/05/11/atsnj-presents-3rd-annual-sports-safety-summit/