I was so saddened to learn this week of the death of a young athlete in the sport of boxing, apparently caused by a knockout blow during a welterweight fight.   I find it so hard to believe that a sport in which the primary goal is to knock out your opponent still curries favor among the masses.  Other sports may be hazardous and involve injury, but no other sport in the world has as its sole mission to hit someone hard enough to cause a brain injury.  Hard to believe . . .  For the entire story, click on the following link:  http://msn.foxsports.com/boxing/story/9838806/Boxer,-23,-dies-four-days-after-knockout-loss

A new study confirms something I have been aware of for years, given my experience with traumatic brain injury cases.  Toddlers are at a higher risk for head injuries than any other age group.  Many such injuries occur to that demographic due to falls.  Just over half the injuries happened in the home, with school, sports venues and playgrounds also being common sites for injury.  Most injuries to infants were caused by falls off of furniture.  The lesson here is clear:  Parental supervision plays the largest single role in preventing head injuries in children.  My wife often accuses me of being overly paranoid about our son suffering from a fall, but my paranoid approach is simply because I have seen so many instances of significant injury to the brain from a fall that could have been prevented .  Some falls cannot be helped and will undoubtedly occur, but our job as parents is to prevent those we can.  For a link to the full article discussing the study, click on the following:

http://www.theage.com.au/national/toddlers-at-highest-risk-of-head-injury-20090720-dqtn.html

Yet another article touting the dangers of cyclists failing to wear helmets.  Personally, as a cyclist, I don’t understand the ignorance of someone wanting to ride a bicycle on the same road as cars and failing to protect themselves from traumatic brain injury, but I guess some of them are out there.  Someone once told me “I am such an experienced cyclist, I do not need to wear a helmet because I never fall.”  How crazy is that . . . 

To see the full article, click on the following link:
http://www.jis.gov.jm/trans_works/html/20090709T210000-0500_20361_JIS_LACK_OF_HELMETS_KILLING_CYCLISTS.asp

Apparently there are some who believe helmets are not necessary in female lacrosse.  I find that incredible, because my belief is that safety is the ultimate priority.  One of the arguments against helmets in that venue is that “girls aren’t strong enough to cause head injury with a lacrosse stick.”  Such an argument is counter to everything I have seen in my practice involving cases of significant brain injury.  Although the human body is an amazing feat of engineering, it is scary to see how often relatively minor traumas can cause very severe deficits, especially in something as fragile as the human brain.  Secondly, I have seen some very strong female athletes even at the high school level, and I doubt that being hit in the head with a lacrosse stick would be an insignificant event.  I also bet there are plenty of coaches and brain injury professional alike who would question the wisdom of the quote above.  For a full link to the article, click on the following link:  http://www.newstimes.com/ci_12868222

This is very exciting news for those suffering from traumatic brain injuries.  A new procedure performed for the first time at an Indian hospital involved the implantation of stem cells into the injured brain of a teenage girl.   Apparently the girl improved “from a condition of altered sensorium, severe cognitive dysfunction and no movement of limbs to fully conscious with full memory gain, communicating and purposive movement of the limbs.”
The possibility that brain cells can be reactivated after an injury provides an extra dose of hope for the treatment of this devastating injury.  For more information, please click on the following link:

http://www.expresshealthcaremgmt.com/200907/market26.shtml

I just read another story that reminds me of how many returning war veterans are suffering with head injuries and their consequences.  Many vets cannot find the support they need to reintegrate into their environment, unemployment rates are skyrocketing, and many are homeless.  Traumatic Brain Injuries are devastating, and nowhere is this more apparent than in our military who have suffered memory loss, cognitive deficits, and personality changes all due to a head injury.  If you know a veteran who has suffered a brain injury, please help them get the assistance they need.  Many times it starts imply with getting them to the right health care provider.  For the full story, please follow this link: 

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12836622?nclick_check=1

Once again we see an example of how so many of our elderly population are living at risk for serious injury or death due to the conditions in poorly run nursing homes.  I don’t know how many incidents of nursing home abuse and neglect must happen for the general public to or the legislature to do something about this.  Most people understand that nursing homes need to make a profit, but when that motivation overrides providing proper patient care, frankly in my mind that is unforgiveable.  Click the following link to see the full article:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1609397.html

A new study at George Washington University has identified ways in which Alzheimer’s Disease and Traumatic Brain Injury are linked.  Apparently each causes similar destruction of cellular pathways.  This finding can possibly aid in the development of treatments for both conditions.  To see the full article, please click on the following link: 

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/099200907131131.htm

A research company has received a grant of almost $ 9 million to study the effects of brain injuries of deployed servicemen.  One reason is because the symptoms of a concussion may not be obvious, while things such as slower reaction time and memory impairments may persist.  Similar to the high school proposal for testing of athletes who have suffered a head injury, this commitment by the military exhibits an understanding that the effects of head injury can be very subtle, and return to any kind of active duty/sport should be approached with extreme caution in any circumstance.  For the full article regarding the military study, please click on the following link:

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/89M-to-Eyak-for-Brain-Injury-Testing-for-Deploying-US-Troops-05592/

I see more and more information every day about pools and summer activities, and the increased risk of traumatic brain injury and other serious injuries such as spinal cord injury and paralysis.  Please do not let your kids dive heard first into pools or natural water areas without knowing exactly what lies beneath!  Scope out the area yourself, find out the depth of the water, make sure there are no hidden dangers such as logs, stumps or rocks, lurking beneath the surface.  Also please do not assume that just because others are diving in a particular area  that it is absolutely clear of obstacles.  They just may have not hit in the wrong place yet.  Be safe and enjoy your summer, and please click on this link to see an informative article regarding diving and preventing injuries.