Sports and Head Injuries: What You Need to Know

[BABY1]

TweetOur thoughts and prayers this week are with the family of Natasha Richardson, after the actress suffered a fatal brain injury while skiing in Canada. But it’s also left many of us wondering exactly how Richardson was hurt so badly—and whether it’s something that could happen to us.
What’s scary about Richardson’s injury is that she didn’t hit a tree or attempt any risky tricks; reports say she simply fell down and hit her head (without wearing a helmet) at the bottom of a beginner’s slope. That’s happened to me plenty of times while skiing, not to mention while biking, playing soccer, and yes, even once while tripping over a curb during a run.
If reports are correct, Richardson said she felt fine, was joking and laughing shortly after her fall, and insisted on walking back to her room instead of seeking medical care. And hours later, she was fighting for her life.
If traumatic brain injuries can occur so easily—and be so hard to identify—what precautions should we take while skiing, biking, or playing sports? And if we do get hurt, how do we know whether we’re in serious danger?

Check for signs of a concussion
Any time a person is hit in the head, someone at the scene should perform a quick “mental status exam” to make sure he or she is not suffering from confusion or memory loss, signs of a potentially life-threatening concussion or internal bleeding (which was likely the cause of Richardson’s brain damage). This includes asking simple math and knowledge questions, making sure the injured person can follow your finger with his or her eyes, and asking if he or she can tell you what happened in the last few minutes. “On the sideline of a sporting event, a trainer will do this,” says Dr. Mayer, “but in reality, you really don’t need any special training to do this. A lot of it is common sense.”
You don’t have to pass out to have a serious injury
“The language we use is ‘altered consciousness,’” says Dr. Mayer. “It’s a whole spectrum: You could be out cold, or, recently we’re diagnosing a lot of concussions in which the person remains standing, with eyes open, with just kind of a glazed look.”

Take confusion or sleepiness seriously
It’s not so much pain that should be a warning sign of serious injury; anyone who gets a hard wallop to the head is likely to develop a monster of a headache, whether there’s internal damage or not. But any type of confusion, dizziness, memory loss, nausea, or sleepiness—anything to signal that the brain is malfunctioning—should not be taken lightly. Call 911, and get to a hospital right away.
Err on the side of caution
“It’s better to waste an afternoon in the E.R. just to make sure everything is okay than to brush it off and underestimate how bad an injury might be,” says Dr. Mayer. “The key thing we know about traumatic brain injuries is that our ability to help is tremendous within the first hour. Then, it’s a little less in the second hour, less than that in the third, and so forth. Time equals brain, we say.”
Wear a helmet
Anytime helmets are optional (as in biking, skiing, or any other sport that involves high-speed or high-altitude movement), wear one. “When I was a kid, seat belts weren’t mandatory in cars; neither were helmets for motorcycle riders,” Dr. Mayer says. “Helmets aren’t required for skiing now, but that may change. I’ll be honest with you, I ski, and I don’t usually wear a helmet. But I’m going to change after this.”
While traumatic brain injury is one of the leading causes of death and disability among children and young adults—and while there is a type of brain injury in which the patient feels fine and then rapidly deteriorates—Dr. Mayer admits that the details of Richardson’s tragic death are still surprising.
“The majority of people who walk into a hospital on their own after a head injury are going to be just fine,” he adds. “The important thing is to take precautions, recognize the signs of serious danger, and get help as soon as possible.”

[FUZO]

TweetFUNNY THING IS WHEN WE WERE KIDS WE DIDNT HAVE HELMETS TO WEAR OR KNEE PADS ELBOW PADS IF WE FELL WE JUST FELL AND DEALT WITH IT. NOW EVERYONE HAS THERE KIDS IN FOOTBALL GEAR RIDING THERE BIKE,WHICH ISNT A BAD THING BUT I GUESS BETYTER TO BE SAFE

[supasaiyan99]

TweetEveryone should always wear their PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). I know sometimes it looks like overkill, but as Fuzo said, it's better to be safe than sorry. You never know when you've used up all of your nine lives.

[3Vandoo]

Tweetwe are now a pussified society

[daved150]

Tweetmy kids dont wear helmets on their bikes and i aint making them!! fukin retarded! i didnt, and if they fall, tough shyt...pick your asz up, hobble your asz home and i'll clean it, kiss it and bandage you up...then get the fuk outside and go play!!!

[O2BESOHUGE]

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my kids dont wear helmets on their bikes and i aint making them!! fukin retarded! i didnt, and if they fall, tough shyt...pick your asz up, hobble your asz home and i'll clean it, kiss it and bandage you up...then get the fuk outside and go play!!!

THATS THE WAY I GREW UP TOO. IF I CAME HOME BLEEDING FROM DOING SOMETHING CRAZY..MY MOM WOULD SAY "THAT'L TEACH YA!!" WE DIDNT GET PAMPERED LIKE KIDS TODAY ARE!!

[daved150]

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THATS THE WAY I GREW UP TOO. IF I CAME HOME BLEEDING FROM DOING SOMETHING CRAZY..MY MOM WOULD SAY "THAT'L TEACH YA!!" WE DIDNT GET PAMPERED LIKE KIDS TODAY ARE!!

our neighbor WAAAY over does it. i'm suprised her kids dont have to wear aluminum foil helmets to talk on a cell phone!!
i cant stand that shyt.....and when these kids cant cope with lifes prob's who's gonna help them? obviously i dont wanna see my kids hurt, but thats part of life...you get hurt. you fall. you bleed. and if you can, you pick your asz up, brush it off and move on

[BABY1]

TweetNo we did not wear them when we were young , but we didn't ride in car seats either. There are more things now to help keep kids safe. I won't take a chance with my daughter getting a severe head injury but that's just me.

[FUZO]

TweetTimes are different today then they were when we were all young. I dont get laid if I dont agree with baby1,lol

[Dzone]

TweetI grew up in Colorado and skiing was a weekly thing. its a miracle we didnt kill ourselves when I think of the stupid shyt we used to do. Skiing thru the trees was a favorite In those days and a helmet was unheard of. I can imagine if anyone ever wore a helmet "Did you see that stupid phucker wearing a helmet???He must be retarded."

[daved150]

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Times are different today then they were when we were all young. I dont get laid if I dont agree with baby1,lol

lmao!!!

i know times are diff, and i agree with child safty seats. but, alot of this stuff is overkill, and i'm not gonna get goofy about it...kids are gonna fall. i'd rather teach them how to stand back up.

(its not like i hand them siccorrs and tell the to "run" them to mom or something)

[Dzone]

Tweetat this rate, I predict in our lifetime, we will all be wearing helmets. People will be fined for driving A CAR WITHOUT A HELMET ON...

[bohunt]

TweetI thought it was the law to wear a helmet at 16 and younger, maybe its just this state.

[supasaiyan99]

Tweet^ It's a law in FL too.

[daved150]

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I thought it was the law to wear a helmet at 16 and younger, maybe its just this state.

its the law here too, but its against the law to speed, and i bet alot of people do. its a bullshyt law....