The problem with head injuries is that you never can be certain of what the future holds.
By Emily Pace
Monday, November 02, 2009 at 12:52 p.m.
Read more: Local, National, Health, Community, Head Injuries, Traumatic Brain Injuries, TBI, Concussions, NFL
MARQUETTE -- Kurt Brandly is lucky to be behind the wheel of a car.
On January 16, 2004, a car accident sent him to the hospital with a subdural hematoma, a form of a traumatic brain injury. Kurt was only 14 years old.
"From what I can remember, because my memory is extremely sporadic, I slept 20 hours a day and I had no concentration at all," said Kurt Brandly.
Kurt also experienced problems with his balance and cognitive functions.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kurt is among 1.4 million Americans who sustain a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, each year. About 75 percent of all TBIs are concussions.
"A concussion refers to an event that occurs to the brain, from a Latin terminology, which means to be shaken violently," said MGH Clinical Neuropsychologist, Dr. Julianne Kirkham.
Dr. Kirkham says concussions are an epidemic in our country. Recent studies suggest their effects can lead to permanent brain damage and the early onset of dementia.
"Even into the 1990s, people believed if there was not a loss of consciousness, there could not have been a concussion," Dr. Kirkham said, "and research now shows very clearly, there does not have to be a loss of consciousness for a concussion to have occurred."
The days of assuming a concussion is just a *minor* injury are long gone.
"When I see a young football player who has had a concussion, the first line of treatment is to have the student resting at home, not exerting physically and not exerting mentally," Dr. Kirkham stated.
In Kurt's case, it took him nearly two months before returning to his day-to-day activities, and even now, he avoids certain activities.
"I love sports and I love giving it my all, but you have got to be careful," Brandly said.
Although improved safety rules and equipment have slightly reduced the rate of sport-related concussions, it's still estimated that 1.6 million to 3.8 million athletes suffer from a mild to severe traumatic brain injury each year.
TBIs are much more detrimental in young people, says Dr. Kirkham.
Unfortunately, unlike in the NFL, there's usually no one on the side trained to diagnose brain injuries in school-age athletes.
