Thomas Henson, cycling team captain

According to an article in Bike World News, two major cycling organizations have jointly released recommendations for how to treat cyclists who have sustained head trauma.

Medicine of Cycling, an independent group of physicians and psychologists working to improve processes that can have a meaningful impact on the way care is delivered to cycling athletes, recently formed the Medicine of Cycling Concussion Task Force which aims to increase awareness of concussion and improve safety for cycling athletes. The guidelines pertain to adult athletes only, as younger riders are even more vulnerable to brain injury. These guidelines are intended to educate cycling team managers, coaches and athletes on the symptoms and management of concussion in athletes. The guidelines are not a surrogate for evaluations by appropriately trained medical professionals.

The guidelines include actions to take in the pre-season, how to evaluate for concussion after a head injury, and considerations for returning to cycling after a concussion.

If you are a serious cyclist—especially if you are a member of a cycling team—you need to read these concussion guidelines so that you, team coaches, and teammates are all on the same page when it comes to head injury.

Ride like the wind… but stay safe!

P.S.  If you would like to join the HensonFuerst Cycling Team, we are adding new riders to our group. We ride for fun, and for community support, fundraising for health organizations, and disease awareness. Cyclists of all skill levels are welcome.

RESOURCES

To read the full article in Bike World News, click here:  Medicine of Cycling releases concussion guidelines

To read the concussion guidelines, click here:  Concussions in Cyclists

When Sarah Jane Donohue was five days old, she was shaken violently by her baby nurse. The result was four broken ribs, 2 broken collarbones, and severe, permanent brain injury. As a response to this devastation, her father, Patrick Donohue, Esq., founded The Sarah Jane Brain Project. Its mission is to create a model system of care for children and young adults suffering from Pediatric Acquired Brain Injuries (PABI).

Patrick Donohue and a team of brain injury experts, advocates, and victims are taking their message of prevention and treatment across the country in a series of events called the 2011 National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Tour. The tour arrives in North Carolina today, Friday, January 28.

Sponsors of the North Carolina events are The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation, the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina (BIANC), and a North Carolina Host Committee, including HensonFuerst Attorneys partner Thomas Henson, Jr.

There are four events planned (three are free of charge):

1. Friday, January 28, 2011 (2:00-3:30 p.m.) Town Hall Meeting: “How Do We Reintegrate The Family After A Brain Injury In Youth?” Room 1503 Carol Belk Building, East Carolina University, Curry Ct. & S. Charles Blvd, Greenville, NC. RSVP: Ted Molloy (212) 576-1180, or ted@thebrainproject.org.  Details: this event is free and open to the public including media.
2. Saturday, January 29, 2011 (10:00-12:00 p.m.) Town Hall Meeting: “How Do We Prevent, Identify and Treat Concussions In Youth?” Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related TBI Research Center, UNC at Chapel Hill. 2207 Stallings-Evans Sports Medicine Center, Chapel Hill, NC.  RSVP: Dr. Johna Register-Mihalik (919) 962-2702 or johnakay@email.unc.edu.  Details: this event is free and open to the public including media.
3. Sunday, January 30, 2011 (1:00-3:00 p.m.) Pre-game NHL All-Star Game Reception, with a special presentation of the 2010 SJBF Cynthia Gibbs Angel Award to Lisa and Robert Gfeller, Founders, The Matthew Gfeller Foundation and The Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related TBI Research Center at UNC-Chapel Hill. At The Backyard Bistro Sports Bar & Grill (across the street from the RBC Center), 1235 Hurricane Alley Way, Raleigh, North Carolina.  RSVP: Sandra Farmer (919) 833-9634 or sandra.farmer@bianc.net.  Details: Individual Tickets are $50 per person (families: $75 per family). Sponsorship levels also available: Platinum Level $10,000, Gold Level $5,000 or Silver Level $1,000.
4. Monday, January 31, 2011 (1:00-3:00 p.m.) Town Hall Meeting: “How Do We Improve Identification and Treatment Of A Brain Injury In Youth?” Levine Children’s Hospital, 1000 Blythe Boulevard, Charlotte, NC.  RSVP: Ted Molloy (212) 576-1180 or ted@thebrainproject.org.  Details: this event is free and open to the public including media

The proceeds from the fundraiser will equally benefit The Brain Injury Association of North Carolina and The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation (both 501c3 organizations; please make checks payable to “The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation” or go online at www.TheBrainProject.org and 100% is tax-deductible since the event has been generously underwritten).

Lisa and Robert Gfeller founded the Matthew Alan Gfeller Foundation after their son, Matthew, suffered a severe helmet to helmet collision during his first varsity football game causing a fatal traumatic brain injury. They helped found the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related TBI Research Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, with the mission of providing the highest level of care for athletes of all ages suffering from sport-related brain injuries, and to assist parents, coaches and medical professionals in managing these student athletes. For more information please visit http://TBIcenter.unc.edu/.

HensonFuerst is a North Carolina law firm committed to representing people with traumatic brain injuries. The firm is a strong advocate for brain injury education and research, participates in several annual fundraising events, and maintains its own brain injury information webpage. For more information, or to query about the services of HensonFuerst, call direct at 1-800-4LAW-MED, or visit http://www.lawmed.com/.

“Nearly 30,000 veterans have suffered some kind of traumatic brain injury in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq – an estimated 2,000 of them severe enough to put warriors into comas or leave them with severe disabilities. Yet eight years into the wars, testimony before Congress shows veterans still suffer yawning gaps in coverage for what has become the conflicts’ signature wound.”   (News & Observer, 5/23/2010)

“…part of Pittman’s brain has gone dormant, and on most days, he can’t think straight. He leaves the room and forgets what he was searching for. He gets migraines so piercing that his right eye wanders. Anger comes easily, inspiring rages that sometimes have his wife terrified for herself and the couple’s 3-year-old daughter.”

There may be snow on the ground today, but three days from now, the weather is forecasted to be perfect for riding: mid-50s, perfectly sunny, no chance of rain (or snow)!

The 50K and 100K Ride for the Rock is a fundraiser event for the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina (BIANC). It honors Mark Ornitz, who suffered a life-changing brain injury when he crashed headfirst into a telephone pole while trying to avoid a fallen rider.

There is still space for additional riders on our team… and, of course, donations are always welcome. For more information, contact Thomas Henson, HensonFuest cycling team leader, at ThomasHenson@www.lawmed.com.

Click here for the registration form.

I was hanging out at the pool this weekend, enjoying my Father’s Day outing with my six year old son, I watched him playing with his friends on a raft in the pool, and became concerned when they were too near the edge of the pool with a bunch of kids at once on the raft. While some may accuse me of being an overly paranoid parent, I could not help but think of what would happen if the raft were to turn over and one of the kids strike the side of their head on the concrete edge of the pool. The temporal area of the skull and brain is one of the most vulnerable to head injury, and that is the area of the head likely to hit the pool edge in that scenario. Please stay safe with your kids this summer, and do everything you can to minimize head injury.