Concussions and increased risk for musculoskeletal injury.

Concussion Increases Odds of Sustaining a Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Injury After Return to Play Among Collegiate Athletes. -Brooks et al.

Perhaps we need to be paying far more attention to the musculoskeletal injuries in our contact sport athletes. We need to bring to light some important facts to our athletes (and their parents!).

From the Nauman Purdue football study:
"The worst hit we've seen was almost 300 Gs," Nauman said. A soccer player "heading" a ball experiences an impact of about 20 Gs." 
Here is what we say: now add 20 soccer headers in a week of game and practice. Or take 20 submaximal football tackles, in a week of game and practice. You do the math.

Concussions have been now shown to cause abnormalities in brain and motor functioning. These issues can last long after perceived clinical recovery. "Recent work suggests subtle deficits in neurocognition may impair neuromuscular control and thus potentially increase risk of lower extremity musculoskeletal injury after concussion."
Do NOT underestimate the impacts of a single concussion, and certainly NEVER in a second impact (Second Impact Syndrome (SIS)). SIS can at worst, lead to death within minutes, so certainly it can lead to impaired neuromuscular control. Our current society continues to ignore the immense long lasting effects of head injuries, even minimal ones. We continue to allow young developing brains to partake in football, soccer, and other jarring sports. Yes, we cannot live in a vacuum, but we can live in awareness and wise choices.

Facts: 
The 2 year Purdue Study of high school football players suggested that concussions are likely caused by many hits over time and not from a single blow to the head, as previously believed. "Over the two seasons we had six concussed players, but 17 of the players showed brain changes even though they did not have concussions," Talavage said. "The most important implication of the new findings is the suggestion that a concussion is not just the result of a single blow, but it's really the totality of blows that took place over the season," said Eric Nauman. "Most clinicians would say that if you don't have any concussion symptoms you have no problems," said Larry Leverenz, an expert in athletic training and a clinical professor of health and kinesiology. "However, we are finding that there is actually a lot of change, even when you don't have symptoms."

"New research into the effects of repeated head impacts on high school football players has shown changes in brain chemistry and metabolism even in players who have not been diagnosed with concussions and suggest the brain may not fully heal during the offseason."-Emil Venere
"We are finding that the more hits you take the more you change your brain chemistry, the more you change your brain's ability to move blood to the right locations," Nauman said.

'Deviant brain metabolism' found in high school football players. 
http://www.purdue.edu/…/deviant-brain-metabolism-found-in-h…

Biomechanical Correlates of Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Neurophysiological Impairment in High School Football
Evan L. Breedlove, BS1,Thomas M. Talavage, PhD2,3,Meghan Robinson, BS2, Katherine E. Morigaki, MS ATC4,Umit Yoruk, BS3, Larry J. Leverenz, PhD ATC4 , Jeffrey W. Gilger, PhD5, Eric A. Nauman, PhD1,2,6

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26786903