Why are concussions in baseball so severe?

[DHarris34Phan]

We all know about Corey Koskie, and now this thing with Justin Morneau.

 

Concussions happen all the time in football, yet they come back sometimes next week.

 

I'm just trying to figure out why its taking Morneau so long to come back.

[Funketown]

It's not only baseball. Look at the NHL:

 

Eric Lindros, Marc Savard, Paul Kariya, Pat LaFontaine, and Adam Deadmarsh are a few players off the top of my head who could have been great (Lindros) or very good (Deadmarsh) if they hadn't been stricken with post concussion syndrome. Lindros is probably the classic example of post concussion syndrome derailing a career.

[derflotr]

Yeah, concussions aren't "bad" in the NFL because they've just ignored them for years. It's completely out of control.

[JimH5]

The NFL is a meat grinder.

 

Those guys are broken and battered by the time they're done, and so many live shortened lives with chronic pain and lifelong disabilities.

 

The league and its broadcast partners have kept that part mostly a secret up until the past few years. When you tune in on Sundays, recognize the price those guys are paying.

 

Glad that baseball is acting more responsibly as it relates to concussions.

[TracyThom]

It seems like the NFL is finally doing something about the way they handle concussions. After his concussion against the Packers, Philadelphia Eagles QB Kevin Kolb had to go through a series of tests before he could be cleared to play, which included a consultation with an independent neurologist.

 

There is still much to be learned about brain injuries and professional sports. After Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son, the Sports Legacy Institute (http://www.sportslegacy.org/) examined his brain and stated Benoit "had the brain of a man aged 80 or older with 'very severe' Alzheimer's disease" due to the repeated concussions and brain injuries.

[dadofandrew]

Concussions are serious in any sport. But, baseball requires pinpoint hand/eye coordination, and the difference is minute. In football, unless you are the QB, I just think it's easier to play with the symptoms.

[Outlander]

Concussions are considered serious in every sport and I would say the NFL is taking the lead in this in no small part to a former WWE wrestler that decided to challenge the NFL and the way they previously treated concussions.

[MadScientist]

It's also possible that the concussions in the NFL are less severe because of the better helmets. They are larger with more cushioning, and while they clearly don't stop concussions, they could be providing just enough of a reduction of the impact to reduce the severity.

[JimH5]

It's also possible that the concussions in the NFL are less severe because of the better helmets. They are larger with more cushioning, and while they clearly don't stop concussions, they could be providing just enough of a reduction of the impact to reduce the severity.

 

Wayne Chrebet would disagree:

 

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2007/09/chrebet_suffering_consequences.html

 

Kyle Turley would disagree:

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ms-thegameface091809

[monty57]

I'd take a helmet-to-helmet hit in football anyday over a mid-90's fastball to the head.

 

One thing that would dramatically alleviate the problem in football would be to make the QBs start wearing mouth guards, but they won't because they like seeing Peyton Manning style audibling on the line. In baseball, they could go with the ultra-padded helmets (like Gomez is now wearing) or go with a facemask like girls softball players wear, but I don't see that happening. Heck, players got mad when MLB finally mandated ear-flaps on the helmets, and the Union made them grandfather players like Jim Gantner so they could still wear helmets without the flaps.

 

I think Al had a good point. I played football with some people who got concussions mid-game and couldn't remember the rest of the game, but they still played fine. I doubt someone would be able to swing a bat or field a line drive with a concussion. That said, concussions are finally becoming recognized as being pretty serious injuries. Until recently, concussions were kind of scoffed at, or like Al Toon, hidden away.

[CheezWizHed]

Granted, none of that covers Koskie's case. He fell down fielding a pop-fly and could barely walk for the next 6 months without getting dizzy and throwing up. That would be obvious in any sport.

[jerichoholicninja]

One thing that would dramatically alleviate the problem in football would be to make the QBs start wearing mouth guards, but they won't because they like seeing Peyton Manning style audibling on the line.

A good number of NFL QB's where mouth guards. I'm pretty sure that Stafford, Brees and Eli wear them. They're not the big one's that other players wear but watch them before they go under center, they put a mouth guard in.

[dadofandrew]

I'm 99% sure all NFL players have to wear a mouthguard.

[jerichoholicninja]

I'm 99% sure all NFL players have to wear a mouthguard.

I can never remember Brett Favre or a kicker ever wearing a mouth guard.

[dadofandrew]

Never mind, I was thinking of a facemask, not a mouthguard. However, I do think most everyone wears a mouthguard.

[JimH5]

Not sure how a mouth guard would prevent injuries to the brain.

 

Boxers wear them all the time, and they often leave the sport incoherent and disabled. They even have their own diagnosis. . .Dementia pugilistica.

 

Some say Ali's parkinson's disease can be linked to his boxing career.

[berniebrewer4life]

It's also possible that the concussions in the NFL are less severe because of the better helmets. They are larger with more cushioning, and while they clearly don't stop concussions, they could be providing just enough of a reduction of the impact to reduce the severity.

The better helmets actually make it worse. The players think they are safer, so they act more like human torpedoes(happens at the lower levels too) and fling themselves around with reckless abandon. The NFL doesn't care about Concussions, they have always just ignored them.

[mothershipconnection]

Not sure how a mouth guard would prevent injuries to the brain.

 

When I was in high school it was "common knowledge" among coaches and trainers that wearing one would decrease the possibility of concussion. From what I gather, this is a somewhat contentious issue, with many medical professionals insisting that it would cushion the blow to the jaw and attenuate some of the impact, while others have said there isn't empirical demonstration of this and it's all just theory extended a little too far. I personally would never play an impact sport without one, as concussion or not, I'd like to avoid dental implants. When I boxed I did all of my training, even running, with a mouthpiece in and it began to feel weird when I was between guards and did any workouts without the mouthpiece. I don't see how anyone but a QB who wants to be heard clearly would be bothered enough to not wear one.

[razzzorsharp]

I don't understand why football players aren't looking like bobble heads with helmets twice the size as their current state. Who cares if it looks stupid, everyone would be wearing them anyway. I also think batters should wear facemasks and pitchers should wear a helmet with a mask. Heck, I think even in slow pitch softball pitchers should be forced to wear a helmet with a facemask.

 

Like Billy Madison says, "It's the cool thing to do."

[WestSideWillie]

I agree with the players feeling more protective, that is part of the reason. With Koskie, it was common baseball knowledge that the injury

was not 100% from baseball but from some other non-baseball activities. Mike Matheny had concussion problems from catching so many

games, plus an early Brewers player, Al Yates, had to retire from baseball as more on HBP or head hit would kill him. I think the more we

know/learn, the more it is publicized, thus severity is increased. Great discussion thread.

[Katuluu]

Yeah, Koskie had had multiple concussions throughout his life. I believe it was estimated at something around 8 or so. Morneau is in a similar position as he's admitted to having multiple concussions from when he used to play hockey.

[Katuluu]

Yeah, Koskie had had multiple concussions throughout his life. I believe it was estimated at something around 8 or so. Morneau is in a similar position as he's admitted to having multiple concussions from when he used to play hockey.

[TheCrew07]

I spend a fair amount of my time reading/treating concussions.

 

The reason why baseball concussions seem to linger follows;

 

1) Hydration - Hydration has turned out to be key component to concussion risk, dehydration is often a main component in severe concussions. You don't have to be dealing with chronic effects to be dehydrated. Most people aren't hydrated enough from the start. How many baseball players would you consider in "good condition" and are "well hydrated"? In fact, we had a kid get a severe concussion this season and he never really got hit hard, he was however taking antihistamines and allergy medication without our knowledge which put him at a greater risk to suffer a concussion

 

2) Diagnosis - Many baseball concussions went undiagnosed over the years. Gehrig for example was knocked out in games multiple times, and the disease linked to his name now can be proven to be linked to concussions.

 

3) Reinjury - In all sports it's not the first concussion that truly creates the problem, it's trying to return to activity before your body is ready for it. Coming back to physical or mental activity before the body is is ready for it is a key contributing factor to the deteriorating effect of concussions. This season we had a young man lie about his symptoms to the trainer so that he could come back in play, which ended up costing him 4 weeks of the season as his symptoms have lingered now for weeks. In fact, one of the worst things for our kids that suffer a concussion is to be challenged mentally, they shouldn't even be in school. Some day people will pay enough attention and the kids won't be expected to perform in school if they suffer a bad concussion as well.

 

Yes the NFL has been bad, but statistically speaking Baseball and Soccer have been far worse. I'm not sure why Soccer gets such a free pass being viewed as a relatively injury free sport by parents? There's nothing safe about redirecting a ball traveling 90 miles with your head. It's not just one sport, it's all sports, and all coaches/trainers become more educated hopefully we handle the situations better going forward. Speaking just for our coaching staff and trainer, nothing scares us as much as concussions and head/neck injuries. I think as awareness continues to grow, treatment will improve. There is no way to stop concussions, there is no helmet that prevents them, the only way to stop concussions is to stop people from competing in sports.

[Nottso]

One more word on the "better helmets, better protection" line of thought. Helmets are not designed to protect the brain; they are designed to protect the skull. There is a big, big, big difference there. I've been riding motorcycles for 40 years, and have lost a lot of friends over the years; some wearing helmets, some not. Also, 2 of my brothers were subcontractors to the Medical Examiner's office in Memphis- they and their employees were the people that came out to scenes and picked up bodies. Sadly, I've seen a lot of dead people. Too many, to be honest.

 

There's an ugly thing that my brothers referred to as "mushroom head." This happens when someone is so severely concussed that they die from it. Usually, these are people that were wearing helmets, so there was no skull fracture of any kind. At autopsy, when they open the cranium, the brain "mushrooms" out; sometimes to the size of a beachball. It's pretty grotesque, to say the least. In these cases, some surmise that if the skull had fractured, the brain may have had enough room to swell without killing them (please note the emphasis on "may").

 

I don't want to have the age-old helmet debate here. I'm just trying to shed a little more light on the subject from another perspective.