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Potential Tragedy of Concussions
by Alanah McGinley on 02/07/08 at 02:22 PM ET
Comments (2)
Adam Proteau at The Hockey News reflects on CBC’s Fifth Estate program which aired last night. The program investigated wrestler Chris Benoit’s life in an attempt to explain the tragedy of last summer.
From Proteau:
Yet, instead of focusing on steroid abuse as a possible explanation for the wrestler’s actions, the Fifth Estate spoke with two doctors at the University of North Carolina who examined Benoit’s brain after the murders and came up with an entirely different theory on what caused an otherwise doting father to snap so violently.
Shockingly, the UNC doctors diagnosed Benoit as having the brain of an 80- or 90-year-old person suffering from dementia.
Furthermore, they revealed the results of a study completed on the after-effects of concussions on 3,000 former NFL players. The study demonstrated that, in addition to serious mental and cognitive problems, the ex-football players had to deal with depression – depression that at times led to suicide attempts, or successful suicides – that may be a direct result of repeated concussions.
more from Proteau on this issue and what it means to hockey. And you can watch the complete program yourself online here.
Filed in: NHL Talk, NHLPA | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: chris+benoit, concussions, depression,
Comments
Blogger on the IR with post-concussive symptoms here--seriously. I can honestly tell you that it stuns me when the teams try to make players practice or work out when they’re “dizzy,” trying to squeeze in physical exertion or even games when players are concussed, it’s...It’s terrifying. Once you have a major concussion that involves serious post-concussive symptoms, you are always prone to having it happen again, and I’ve been laid up for two weeks for a seemingly-innocent bang on the side of my head getting into the car.
They’re real, they’re dangerous, and trying to get players to “suck it up” when they’ve got a swollen and bruised brain is just...stupid.
Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 02/09/08 at 12:50 AM ET
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Hockey Links
Hockey is worse than football, some experts suggest it’s the lack of facial protection. Blows to the face or upchecking have been compared to boxing blows. Truama to the jaw joint may be linked to the long term brain damage of these types of hits. A procedure secured by a retainer like mouth guard may be the answer. http://www.mahercor.com
Posted by Steve from Boston on 02/08/08 at 08:29 PM ET