Concussion patients were once prescribed rest in a dark room, but in recent years concussion management has literally come out of the dark. This is in large part because of a research boom: the number of studies on this mild form of traumatic brain injury has multiplied by 15 times over the last 20 years.
Full Answer
How has drug addiction treatment changed in the last 50 years?
Drug addiction treatment has changed in the last fifty years, partly due to the categorization of some drugs, better understanding of chemical mechanisms, and advances in medicine. Treatment can now occur in outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation facilities, which was not always available previously.
What is the future of concussion treatment and Prevention?
Advancements in concussion prevention, diagnosis, and treatment over the past century are significant. These advancements, especially in technology, will continue to promote safety and welfare.
Is concussion research maturing into a deeper science?
This spike is a sign that the relatively young field of concussion research is maturing into a deeper science. It has created new evidence to support an entirely new approach to treating concussion. A recent wave of research papers has turned old practices on their heads.
How did they treat a concussion?
An important part of treatment for a concussion is getting plenty of rest, both sleep at night and naps or rest breaks during the day if needed. Your doctor will probably tell you to avoid certain physical activities and sports while you recover and may suggest medicine to take if you have a headache.
What is the most recent treatment protocol of a concussion?
Physical and mental rest Your doctor will recommend that you physically and mentally rest to recover from a concussion. Relative rest, which includes limiting activities that require thinking and mental concentration, is recommended for the first two days after a concussion.
What is the only proven strategy to help concussions?
Sadly, many healthcare practitioners are not keeping up with the explosion in concussion research and are still telling patients the only treatment for concussion is rest. If you have fallen victim to this, you don't need more rest; you need a second opinion.
When did concussion protocol start?
2009NFL Guidelines Due to high numbers of traumatic brain injury among active and retired professional football players, the NFL established a concussion protocol in 2009, and it's since been updated several times.
What is the NBA concussion protocol?
The process involves several steps: from riding a stationary bike at an elevated heart rate to running on a treadmill to on-court individual drills to a team workout. A neurological examination is performed after each step, and the player must be symptom free to move to the next step.
Is there a treatment for post-concussion syndrome?
There is no specific treatment for persistent post-concussive symptoms. Your doctor will treat the individual symptoms you're experiencing. The types of symptoms and their frequency are different for everyone.
Is it OK to listen to music with a concussion?
Take off from school, work, and social activities for 2-3 days. Get to bed early and sleep in the next day. Your body heals and grows while you sleep; the hours of sleep before midnight count double the hours after midnight in this regard! Listen to music, watch TV, talk with your friends, nap, eat.
Can you vape with a concussion?
After a concussion refrain from alcohol consumption, as well as substances like caffeine or nicotine. Since these substances affect the central nervous system, they can affect a person suffering from a mild concussion much more than it did before the injury. Get professional assistance.
How can concussions be prevented?
Everyone should wear properly fitting, sport-appropriate headgear and safety equipment when playing contact sports or biking, rollerblading, skateboarding, snowboarding, or skiing. You can't prevent every concussion. But helmets, mouthguards, and other safety gear can reduce the risk of a brain injury.
What has the NFL done to prevent concussions?
The league has made changes to the rule book and to equipment in efforts to make the game safer. These moves include stricter targeting guidelines, elimination of the blindside block, and kickoff rule changes. It was found that concussions decreased 35% in the immediate season following the rule change.
What did the NFL do about concussions?
NFL agrees to end race-based brain testing in $1B settlement on concussions The league accepted changes after an outcry over test score adjustments known as "race-norming," which make it harder for retired Black players to win dementia awards.
How long is concussion protocol in high school?
A majority of people who have sustained a concussion will need to be sidelined for at least seven to 10 days, but in some cases, an individual could take several weeks to heal. CT scans and MRIs from concussion studies don't show structural changes, such as bleeding, in a concussion.
Bouncing back through active recovery
Years ago, we prescribed lots of rest in a dark room for concussion treatment, but we now understand that too much rest and isolation is not a good thing — not only can it make concussion symptoms last longer, but it can also cause additional symptoms like anxiety and irritability.
How a concussion specialist can help
We also now understand the importance of treating concussions. While most people do feel better over time, if a concussion isn’t treated properly, there may be some underlying dysfunction that could make you more vulnerable to experiencing a new concussion.
About the author
Erin Reynolds, PsyD, is a clinical sports neuropsychologist and director of the Baylor Scott & White Sports Concussion Program at The Star. She specializes in the treatment of sports-related concussions. As the mother of two student-athletes, Dr. Reynolds is passionate about the benefits of playing team sports in childhood and adolescence.
Past approach: A dark room
For many years, concussion management followed a rest-is-best approach.
Exercise is medicine
In the past few years, scientists have started to study aerobic exercise (or cardio training) as a management strategy for concussion symptoms. This exercise-is-medicine approach is diametrically opposed to the rest-is-best status quo.
Ongoing research
The motivation for using rest as a concussion-management strategy was a desire to limit exposure to environments and activities that might lead to secondary concussions. (Pexels/Kindel Media)
How many concussions are there in sports?
In 2013, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) released a position statement that estimated as many as 3.8 million concussions occur within sports annually with up to 50% of concussion injuries unreported.
What are the disadvantages of computer based testing?
Disadvantages of computer-based testing include a lack of validity and reliability from certain tests, cognitive challenges associated with concussion symptoms, lack of personal interaction between the concussed athlete and medical practitioner, and common computer glitches (37).
What is a CTBI?
Chronic traumatic brain injury (CTBI) is the compounding and everlasting neurological result of multiple blows to the head. CTBI is generally associated with the sport of boxing. However, participants of other contact sports such as football, soccer, and ice hockey can be affected by CTBI (35).
What is the difference between CRI and CogSport?
CogSport is a software program designed to measure alterations in cognitive performance by computing reaction time and precision to measure concentration, memory, problem solving, consistency, and spatial skills. CRI is a neurocognitive software program that also measures reaction time and decision processing (37).
How long can you play football after a grade 2 concussion?
For players who suffered a grade 2 concussion, return to play was permitted in two weeks if no signs of concussion were demonstrated for a period of seven days (6). The Colorado Guidelines (1991) were enforced in 1991 after a high school player died after suffering a second concussion.
What is the SCAT3?
The SCAT3 is compris ed of eight distinct assessment areas. These areas include the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), which measures the best eye response, the best verbal response, and the best motor response. The Maddocks Score is utilized primarily for sideline judgment for concussion diagnosis.
How many high schools were in the cohort study?
The cohort consisted of 100 high schools and 180 four-year colleges in the United States. The specific sports included in this study were the male sports of football, soccer, basketball, wrestling, and baseball and the female sports of soccer, volleyball, basketball, and softball.
Blood Tests for Brain Injuries
Until recently, it was thought to be impossible to diagnose head injuries through blood tests.
Color-Changing Helmets
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a film that changes color when it’s hit. It’s made of polymers that link together to form crystals that refract light. The structure of the crystals morphs on impact, causing the color change. The film starts out red.
Accelerometers in Mouthguards and Patches
When he was playing rugby at Arizona State University, Anthony Gonzales was hit hard enough that he couldn’t remember which team he was playing for. His head injury inspired him to find a way to better diagnose concussions. He developed a mouthguard, the FITGuard, which has a built-in accelerometer.
Concussion Pill
Researchers at Harvard are working on a treatment to slow the spread of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease common in people who have had frequent head injuries. Patients with CTE have high levels of misshapen tau, a naturally occurring protein, in their brains.
A Big Dummy
On the prevention side, Dartmouth's football squad has a new teammate—a mobile, self-righting tackling dummy that moves around the field like a real player. The remote-controlled dummy was developed as a senior project at Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering.
Why do addicts need multiple rounds of therapy?
It requires multiple rounds of therapy to reduce the risk of relapse. One of the latest medication types introduced is a group of long-acting drugs. These drugs reduce a person’s cravings, which can help addicts prevent relapse due to out-of-control cravings and symptoms.
How to contact rehab for yourself?
For help finding a rehab for yourself or a family member, call us toll-free at (888) 341-7785. For those seeking addiction treatment for themselves or a loved one, the Rehabs.com helpline is a private and convenient solution.
What is medication free attempt?
A medication-free attempt was the method many doctors and providers used to treat addicts as well. Previously, many people believed that stopping drug use in this way was the only answer, since adding more drugs was considered a negative option.
How much money did the Carter administration lose to drug addiction?
Because of this, drug addiction programs lost approximately $24 million in funding.
Do inpatient rehabs carry stigma?
Inpatient rehabs no longer carry the stigma they did as recently as the 1980’s for those attending rehab. Indeed, many private residential treatment facilities feature luxury amenities for their clients, so that they are kept as comfortable and pampered as possible during treatment.
Is science based addiction treatment a way of life?
Science-based addiction treatment is becoming a way of life, and there are more drugs being released to aid those who want to stop illicit drug use, prescription drug use, or other addictions. According to National Institute on Drug Abuse chief Dr. Nora Volkow, addiction leads to a chronic disorder that needs attention.
Is 12-step therapy the only answer to addiction?
Long-time therapies, like 12-step programs or medicine-free therapies, are no longer viewed as the only answer to addiction. Instead, society is beginning to realize that drug addiction is a disease that needs medical treatment by a trained medical professional.
Eliminating the stigma surrounding mental illness
Mental illness has historically been surrounded by a stigma; in terms of the self-stigma people with mental illness experience, as well as the more public stigma surrounding mental illness.
A higher government priority on mental health
A significant factor in the improvement regarding the negative stigma surrounding mental illness, and one that has various other implications, is the priority that health sectors and regulatory bodies set on mental health.
Restructuring the way mental health services are provided
As a result of the increased approachability and availability of mental health services, the numerous types of services available are continuing to expand. In both online and in-person formats, many mental health service providers offer a comprehensive range of help options; take these counselling services by New Vision Psychology for example.
Mental health support looking forward
Currently, mental health awareness and support are in a better position than it ever has been. With decreasing stigmas surrounding mental illness, higher levels and availability of support services, and restructuring of various approaches to mental health, the area is in a strong position looking forward.