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SportsConcussions.org's
latest concussion news:
Concussion sidelines Vikings' QB Brett Favre for Tuesday night's game against the Eagles

Boxing champ Micky Ward subject of the movie "The Fighter" pledges brain to BU

NFL sees 21% increase in reported concussions over last season

German researchers find 10-20% of boxers have persistent impairment from brain trauma

American Academy of Neurology: Concussed athletes should see a specialist before returning to play

theconcussionblog
Mayo Clinic Hockey Summit recommendations include ban on all hits to the head at all levels

Army identifies blood protein marker which may help identify brain injuries including concussions

 
What becomes of athletes who suffer concussions when young?


Scott Laker

Ask Dr. Scott Laker:
Seattle Sports Concussion Program

How many concussions can my son have before he needs to change sports?

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NFL toughens stance on concussions, acknowledging long-term risks and life-changing potential
 

Recently released NFL helmet-impact test results should not be applied to collegiate, high school or youth helmets

NFL considers changes to camps and practices to limit concussions; concerned about sub-concussive hits

NCAA makes 3-man wedge illegal this year hoping to reduce concussions, same as NFL

Tennessee tightens concussion policies for coming school year

Study suggests athletes may need even more time after concussion to fully heal

NJ female teen athlete suffered 15 concussions now struggles daily

DC MLS star Namoff suspends career due to lingering symptoms from concussion suffered Sept 09

MLB All-Star players choosing reinforced helmets to reduce head injuries

Neuroplasticity: can our brains grow, change, and heal themselves at any age?

Emergency room visits for kids with head injuries increased 43% in the last five years

LaPorta passes neuropsychological test but doctors don't allow him to return to play

Indians LaPorta shows no sign of concussion after on-field collision and CT scan

High school softball adds concussion rule

Pro soccer player Twellman ends season due to symptoms from concussion suffered 2 years ago

Former Bengals receiver who died of unrelated causes showed signs of trauma-related brain damage at age 26

Pirates players collide leaving second baseman unconscious; out for series with concussion

Study shows most parents unaware of their local school's concussion policies

Six-yr-old sustains concussion attempting flip off diving board

Quebec bans bodychecking in youth hockey and reduces concussions significantly

Pro hockey player suffers post-concussion syndrome, symptoms originally confused with flu

Canadian amateur football association implements concussion rules to protect all amateur players

Neck muscle strength plays a role in concussion prevention

ESPN's  Preston Plevetes' concussion story, former La Salle football player

Zackery Lystedt inspired WA State's concussion law, the Lystedt Law

Eagles wide receiver felt pressured by asst coach to return after concussion last season

Concussion Basics
 

Air Force Academy basketball player plaqued by headaches since Nov. concussion, hopes new medication helps

Are headguards the answer for soccer players?  Some athletes and coaches in ME believe so


Head U Concussions

Raise 7 for Matthew



Meet pediatrician Aaron Dalan, former NFL tackle

Remember when you went to the doctor when you were little and your heart started pounding when you heard the doorknob twist…and what if the doctor who walked in really did fill the doorframe at 6’7” and it was not your imagination that he was larger than life? Meet pediatrician Aaron Dalan, whose gentle healing side has replaced the fiercely competitive, tough-as-nails Oakland Raider he once was. His days are now filled with children, including his own, instead of the locker room banter characteristic of a typical NFL team.
 
He was hard to miss in high school, in class as well as on the field where he was the largest, and one of the most intimidating players in the league. But it was his ferocious appetite for literature and Greek mythology that his high school English teacher and football coach Phil Langston, remembers best. “Aaron was one of the most intelligent and well-read students I ever had. It was hard for me to manage a debate during his class period, because he really knew his stuff. He usually out-maneuvered us.”

That was also true on the field where he was known for having “great feet.” A starting offensive lineman for the UW his last two years, Dalan was also named to the Academic All-America team and the All-PAC-10. In an interesting twist, he took his medical school entrance exams the day before he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 1999.

“As a lineman, 75% of my hits were helmet-to-helmet,” says Dalan. “That’s just the way it was. I spent eight years of my life engrossed in the gladiator mentality, so I understand it pretty well. The question was, were we tough enough to give and take hits, stay in the game, and play through it.” But that’s now changing, and Dr. Dalan sees the awareness increasing at every level. “ Five years ago, quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner would have been ostracized for speaking up about their concussions. Now they sit out until their medical team gives them permission to return, and they are setting a better example for the kids who come through my door.”

As a pediatrician, Dr. Dalan’s biggest challenges are educating parents as to the subtleties of concussion symptoms, and making sure his young patients know that if noise bothers them, lights are suddenly annoying, or they feel like they’re “in a fog”, they need to make sure to tell an adult.

The good news is, things are improving. Aaron recently educated his son’s T-ball team about the dangers of concussions. “The information I shared with these young athletes and their parents was more than I knew on the subject through all my playing years. I make sure to impress upon the kids that they’ll need to use their brain much longer than their body. The earlier they learn about the importance of concussion safety the better off they’ll be, and maybe we won’t see teenagers with multiple concussions so often anymore.”

Coach Langston has fond memories of Aaron, and was not at all surprised that he chose medical school over the NFL. “Aaron had a different mindset,” he said recently. “He was destined to serve, and he always cared a great deal about young people, even as a teenager. Make no mistake, he was a force on and off the field. But what I saw was a young man with a giant heart who is now doing what he was destined to do. He is a very special man.”

Dr. Aaron Dalan now practices at the Northwest Pediatric Center in Centralia, WA. He was a member of the National Medical Honor Society and recipient of the Frederic C. Moll Prize in Pediatrics.
 
 

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