Snowboarders Start To Wise Up To Repercussions of Concussions

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Posted on 20th March 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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Even after the Winter Olympics, discussion of the topic of snow boarding and concussions is far from dead. The New York Times offered its take on the subject in its sports section Friday, in a story headlined “As Snowboarders Soar, So Does Concern.” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/sports/19snowboard.html

The gist of the story is that even snowboarders, known for their counter culture dismissal of danger, are starting to worry about the long-term impact of the head injuries they sustain.

For example, snowboarder Scotty Lago suffered a concussion in 2008 in New Zealand, when he hit the halfpipe while attempting a Can 1080, which involves making three spins. Helmet-less Lago fell 20 feet and hit his head.

Now Lago, who won a Bronze medal last month in the Olympics, during an interview with The Times cited studies that show it can be years before the true impact of concussions appears.

The issue has also come to the forefront because of the tragedy that befell snowboarder Kevin Pearce, 22, who sustained a serious head injury Dec. 31 in Utah and is trying to recover in a neurological rehabilitation facility.

Particularly troubling in The Times’ piece is the story of 20-year-old snowboarder Elena Hight, who competed in the Olympics last month. She suffered three concussions when she was 14, and one a year since then, according to The Times. That doesn’t make for a very upbeat prognosis for her later years.

Both Lago and Hight will be competing in the U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships in the coming week in Stratton, Vt. And if one can believe this foolishness, that competition only requires helmets for those 13 and younger. Even the Winter X Games now require helmets.

But sadly enough, even helmets don’t guarantee safety. Pearce was wearing a helmet when he had his devastating accident. And during the Winter X Games last year, Gretchen Bleiler hit the back of her helmet and got concussion.

The problem with snowboarding isn’t just the absence of helmets, but that the sport is inherently dangerous. One mistake and the brain will be subjected to extreme forces, not just from a blow to the head, but also from the extreme acceleration deceleration forces of the “stopping” part of the fall. True prevention would make the courses safer, put limits on how dangerous of stunts are allowed. Without that happening, there will be many more tragic stories ahead.

Olympic Sports Like Snowboarding and Skiing Rival Football In Terms of Injuries

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Posted on 8th February 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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A year ago, Natasha Richardson reminded all of us that sport concussions happen in sports other than football and that average people can suffer, not just famous athletes. With the Winter Games approaching it will be world class athletes who may stir up the conversation again, but in a newer sport, one without a tradition of safety: snowboarding.

There are already worries that snowboarders in Vancouver will be cracking their heads as they compete in the counterculture sport, as The San Francisco Chronicle called it, which was admitted to the Olympics in 1998.

The Chronicle noted that “maneuvers in the halfpipe have grown from exhilarating to terrifying in the four years since Shaun White won the gold in Turin, and the champ’s face smacked against the lip of the pipe at the Winter X Games last weekend, sending his helmet flying.” http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/07/SP921BR2N0.DTL

The International Olympics Committee is criticized for not setting safety standards for snowboarding, and letting the International Skiing Federation govern it.

The Miami Herald also weighed in on the issues, in a story headlined “Winter Olympics Flirting With Danger.” http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/olympics/story/1467130.html

The article cites snowboarder Kevin Pearce, who hit his forehead on the wall of a half-pipe and sustained traumatic brain injury. He is now at a long-term rehabilitation facility.

“Combine snow, ice, expressway speeds, six-story heights,” The Herald writes. “Think NASCAR on a slippery track or gymnastics with a helmet but without a mat. Imagine plunging down a slope as hard as concrete in a skinsuit or sliding down a roller coaster on a steel cookie sheet or flying through the air without a parachute.”

Not only snowboarders but skiers face serious injury, prompting some to call for safety reforms.

Will snowboarding reform? Will the thrill of the daredevil be replaced by some common sense about permanent damage to the minds of these young people?

We have been discussing the different trends of two of America’s most popular sports with respect to head injury risk in recent weeks. Today, at http://subtlebraininjury.com.blog we talk about the NFL’s growing commitment to player brain safety. Last week we talked about NASCAR’s preference for ratings rather than safety. The NFL seems to have learned that protecting its assets (the players) is more important than making the sport more sensational. NASCAR has clearly not.

We can only hope that the leaders of this Olympic sport show plan ahead rather than react to some tragedy.