Unraveling the concussion mystery...one study at a time |
by Jean Rickerson Dr. Steven Broglio is a man in a hurry. He feels the constant pressure to provide parents with answers to questions that have now become quite prevalent- how can I keep my child from sustaining concussions while engaged in sports, which equipment should I choose, and what, exactly, is happening to their brains? He's also a man with a fascination for wherever the story leads us and as such, is a critical part of the solution. While over 25 published papers bear his name, he and his colleagues know one thing for certain: the more research they do, the more they realize there's much to learn. To a parent this is disheartening as answers come too slowly, to a researcher it's exciting. Helmet sensors Currently Director of the Neurotrauma Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Broglio uses HITS (Head Impact Telemetry System) to measure the frequency and severity of head impacts in high school football players. (The NFL is considering a similar system for use next season). Helmet sensors send data to the sidelines where they can later be compared with symptom reports from the athletes or physiological changes measured using computer based cognitive testing. The first tests exploded a common assumption most might have, that the greater the force of an impact the higher the likelihood a concussion would be sustained. Instead, Dr. Broglio and his team discovered that there was no linear correlation per se, as some athletes withstood hits in the range of 100g's without an apparent concussion while impacts of less magnitude (60g's) wreaked havoc on their teammates. This opened up Pandora's box, as clearly there were other mitigating factors. Dr. Broglio said, "We believe the threshold for concussion may be as variable as the individual themselves. It's even possible that susceptibility changes throughout the day depending on their core body temperature, blood pressure, or level of hydration. Other factors could include the physical structure of the brain and the vascular system as well as genetics. We just don't know." Sub-concussive hits Another area of concern is the role sub-concussive hits play in the larger picture. Many researchers have speculated that multiple impacts in a day can 'weaken' the brain to the point where a lesser blow can cause a concussion. Dr. Broglio's most recent research however, doesn't support this. He said, "We looked at the total number of impacts before injury, total linear acceleration, total rotational acceleration, and combinations of the three and found no relationship with concussions. What we do think is that it may be an issue of 'impact burden.' That is, the number of impacts and resulting cumulative accelerations per minute- something like g's per minute prior to injury." No answers yet. But cognitive deficits measured in players with concussions, do not correlate with severity of impact. That is, the harder you are hit, doesn't necessarily mean the worse the injury. There's more going on than we know. Solutions Years ago, Dr. Broglio and his colleagues were not able to look as deeply into the effects of concussions because the measurement technology simply wasn't as sophisticated. Now as more funding becomes available, he and other researchers like him will crunch the data and safety recommendations will continue to evolve. In the meantime, Dr. Broglio says," We are not going to reduce the number of concussions in non-helmeted sports and we will likely never have a helmet that prevents concussions. What we need to work on is educating parents, athletes, and coaches, helping them to understand that our youth face potential life-long deficits if their injuries are not managed properly. This means telling the truth, sitting out, and being OK with that. There simply is no replacement for their brain."
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