Concussion Risks In Sports and Long Term Effects

“I have had several past concussions….” What are the risks if I do certain activities like skateboarding and boxing? What about playing high school football?

People have to choose their own activities and be responsible for the risks those activities have… so taking a libertarian view on a person’s freedom to choose their activity – ultimately it’s up to you.

Of course, there are risks and likely consequences.

I guess it also should be said that there are risks to hiding in your house and not doing anything too.

It’s a matter of hopefully making smart choices and understanding that certain things will have much higher risks than others.

Certain activities have greater risks for head trauma, brain injuries, and concussions.

Some of these activities include… riding motor cycles, skateboards, many sports like rodeo, football, hockey, boxing, kickboxing, MMA, and so many others.

If you are concerned about Concussions and head trauma, maybe skateboarding and boxing aren’t the best choices of activities for you?

One thing about wearing helmets, even though I recommend it if you’re skateboarding – it will not do much at all to prevent a concussion. It very well might prevent a skull fracture though.

Boxing headgear likewise isn’t really going to prevent a concussion either – and neither will boxing gloves. They will prevent some cuts and breaking your hands though.

Repetitive Head Traumas and Past Concussions

One of the greatest risks for chronic problems like that seen in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a history of past concussions. This has been brought to light over the last many years as the information about NFL players has surfaced. The movie, Concussion, would be worth checking out to get a little basic history on this.

The problem people who suffer a concussion have are varied and complex.

A big issue is the changes in the brain’s immune system that make it in many cases permanently more aggressive so that it can clean up the mess.

Essentially your brain thinks – I’ve had brain trauma, I better be on high alert and get ready for the next one. This results in a significant amount of collateral damage in the brain that increases significantly when the next brain trauma takes place.

This is why many people think they’ve recovered after a concussion only to discover later that maybe they suffered some permanent effects. Others will never put 2 and 2 together and don’t realize the cognitive problems they are having are the direct result of a concussion that happened a decade or more ago.

Protect Your Brain

Nothing is more important to you and your ability to live your life than your brain’s ability to function.

If you choose activities that will almost certainly have brain trauma, then you will be at a much greater risk of losing your brain’s ability to function properly. You also will be at a much higher risk of suffering increasingly serious problems as you age.

Ultimately, what you do is up to you. I would highly recommend considering what impact your choices will have on your future and if it’s worth the risks.

General Recommendations About Concussions

A quick aside – it’s incredibly important to stay active. It’s also so important to enjoy your life and reduce your stress levels. This has been increasingly difficult in our modern lives.

You can choose safer activities. Say you want to train in boxing or martial arts, consider choosing something that has a much lower risk of head trauma.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for example because you will not get punched or kicked in the head in training or competition.

If your goal is solely fitness, start lifting weights and maybe doing some cardio type activities like running.

My point is that there are things you can do that do not have nearly as much risk for head trauma and concussion.

Finally, people can be helped with both acute and chronic concussion related problems. It just takes finding a practitioner that understands concussions, how to evaluate the person, how to treat the injury, and what recommendations the person needs to adopt to improve their recovery.