Concussions in Sports

In recent years, the number of concussion related injuries and visits to emergency treatment facilities, for head impact related events, have dramatically risen. Contact sports have always been known for their inherently higher risks to players. Concussion injuries are not a new occurrence, but the rapid rise in the amount of reported concussion injuries are fairly new. There are many theories and ideas concerning the rise of concussion injuries, in modern contact sports. Regardless as to why they are occurring in higher numbers, concussion related injuries are a serious medical issue in modern contact sports. Many agencies and organizations have taken actions and steps to mitigate this serious medical issue (Appenzeller, 2011).

Due to the increased media exposure, medical advancements, higher numbers of concussion injuries, related post-concussion medical complications and deaths, action had to be taken. Many organizations like the NFL, have initiated numerous actions to deal with the concussion issue. Research, equipment modifications, neurological testing, adjustment of game rules, education and other steps have been taken to mitigate the risk of concussions and mild traumatic brain injuries in contact sports. There are also treatment and return to play protocols that have been implemented, along with various rule changes, at the high school, college and professional level. The government has even gotten involved by approving legislation to implement guidelines and to provide funding to procure safety equipment to protect youth athletes (Appenzeller, 2011).

I do believe these organizations have a moral obligation to reduce risks and mitigate further concussion related injuries. Many players over the years, in a variety of sports, have had their lives ruined and in some cases, ended, because of these traumatic brain injuries. Many argue that it comes with the territory and contact sports will always have injuries. While this may be true to a point, there are many areas that can be adjusted to reduce an athlete’s chances of suffering a potentially lethal blow, on the field. It has been well known for over a decade, in the sports and medical industries, that concussion related injuries and many resulting after effects, are a serious and potentially life threatening problem. Did all of these organizations wait too long, to take action, concerning concussion injuries? Many think so and feel that many of the injuries, over the past decade, could have been avoided, if action was taken sooner (Ezell, 2013).

Today, there are many programs and actions being taken by a variety of sports organizations to deal with this issue. They should have been doing this long before they were essentially forced to act. This issue isn’t new and many of the older players suffered needlessly. If these organizations hadn’t taken measures to deal with this issue, there could have been major legal actions, higher costs, the potential shut down of many sports programs and a serious loss of revenue. And that doesn’t include an unknown number of additional casualties on the playing field. Taking care of people is a fundamental concept in any ethical or moral setting. As a civilized society, we must strive to keep sports as a safe and positive activity, instead of returning to the gladiator days of ancient Rome (McGrath, 2011).

References:

Appenzeller, H. (2011). Ethical behavior in sport. Durham, N.C.: Carolina Academic Press.

McGrath, B. (2011). Does Football Have a Future? The New Yorker. Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/01/31/does-football-have-a-future

Ezell, L. (2013). Timeline: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis. Frontline. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sports/league-of-denial/timeline-the-nfls-concussion-crisis/

Eric Dempsey

MS, Certified Training for Warriors Level 2 Coach

Dempseys Resolution Fitness

Weight Machines - When Are They Good To Use?

I'm not a big fan of most weight machines. The weight machines do most of the work for you and take alot of core and stabilization benefits out of the exercise. My training program focuses on total body, multi-joint, compound movements with heavy core involvement, usually in the standing position. But there are times when weight machines are beneficial to use.

Some of these favorable times are when you are training around an injury, doing post -rehab work after an injury, when you don't have a spotter or trainer present and you want to use heavy weight and when free weights are not available. I have been healing up my shoulder after a labrum / rotator cuff strain that I got from doing a one arm dumbbell push press with a 95lb dumbbell.

So instead of stopping my training while waiting for my shoulder to heal, I decided to use mostly hammer strength weight machines with the heaviest weight I could move. This allows my shoulder to heal and keeps me from losing lean body mass and strength. But to make it worth using the hammer strength machines, I set a standard for myself to try to use no less than four 45lb plates on each side and when possible to use five 45lb plates on each side.

Today, I did a chest and back workout using the hammer strength chest press and seated row machines. I used four 45lbs plates on each side for both exercises and I did about 6-8 sets of 3-6 reps. I even managed to do some heavy single rep sets on the chest press machine with five 45lb plates on each side. It was heavy as hell and I still managed to get a full central nervous system stimulus that broke me off at the grass roots. The beauty of it was that my shoulder didn't hurt at all and I got in a great workout.
Check out the pics below. 4 and 5 plates is heavy to me no matter what I am doing.

So don't be afraid to train around an injury. Use the tools available to you and do what you can. Then when you heal up get back to the basics with bodyweight, barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells. And as always, follow the mantra: "Go Heavy or Go Home".

Eric

Dempsey's Resolution Fitness

 

Don't get up quickly from a prone position

Today, My son Michael was at home and he got up quick from the couch and blacked out and fell on the coffee table and banged his face up. I have seen numerous clients do the same thing. If you are on the floor exercising or lying down, try not to jump up quickly. The change in going from the lying position to standing, when done quickly, sometimes causes you to short out your circuits. The result can be painful such as Michael's fall. He was taken to the ER and recieved an EKG and CT scan. He turned out to be ok and was released with ice and motrin as the treatment plan. He's doing good now but will have a shiner. So try to get up slowly when you can and avoid a painful fall.