{"id":2092,"date":"2025-06-02T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/?p=2092"},"modified":"2025-06-05T16:41:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T15:41:13","slug":"you-only-get-one-brain-concussion-in-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/06\/02\/you-only-get-one-brain-concussion-in-sport\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cYou only get one brain\u201d: concussion in sport"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Protecting the brain is no longer optional. Expert Dr Patrick Neary explains how sport is adapting \u2013 and what more can be done to prevent concussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou only have one brain, and you need that for the next 70 years of your life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Patrick Neary, 68, a professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada, shares his perspective not for shock value but simply because it\u2019s the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A former ice hockey player in his youth with five concussions to his name, Dr Neary now leads research on the effects of concussions on the brain, and has been doing for over 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He knows, first-hand and scientifically, that the effects don\u2019t always go away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA concussion is the movement of the brain inside the skull,\u201d he says. \u201cYou don\u2019t even need to hit your head.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s something most athletes still don\u2019t realise. A jolt. A rotation. A violent stop. It can all lead to a concussion, and this isn\u2019t preventable externally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSideways movement is often worse, that\u2019s where you get the shearing forces,\u201d Dr Neary explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He brings up the case of Sidney Crosby. A glancing shoulder hit in 2011 took the NHL (National Hockey League) star out of action for a year. No direct head blow. Just a twist. And months of recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Dr Neary\u2019s lab, elite rugby players who\u2019ve suffered multiple concussions show changes in brain function. Compared to tennis players or cyclists, the difference is clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDr Patrick Neary assesses a rugby player for concussion, Photo courtesy of Dr Patrick Neary<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are long-term consequences,\u201d he says. \u201cEven if we can\u2019t draw a straight line to conditions like Alzheimer\u2019s, the association is there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For athletes in the modern game, that is the frightening truth, a truth that was not discussed until recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn the \u201970s and \u201980s, you just sucked it up,\u201d he says. \u201cNow we\u2019re learning. But it\u2019s still hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Denial remains one of the most dangerous parts of the injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t want to let the team down,\u201d Dr Neary says. \u201cBut the next hit? That could be the one that breaks you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Athletes lie. They stay on. They tell coaches they\u2019re fine. This is one of the most damaging things top sportspeople can do, resulting in issues after their sporting careers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what is being done?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The introduction of concussion spotters in the NFL, NHL, and top-level rugby is just one of the innovative changes to sport to help prevent damage from worsening. These are individuals in the stands who are trained to remove players from the field when they notice something is wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In football, leagues like the Premier League now permit temporary concussion substitutes to prioritise player care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, too many think helmets are the answer and concussions are preventable from the exterior. Dr Neary is quick to disprove this theory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHelmets don\u2019t stop concussions,\u201d he says. \u201cThey stop cuts and fractures. But the brain still moves inside the skull.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He once told a gridiron, a term used for American and Canadian football, coach to train players without helmets. The coach wanted to teach safer tackling. \u201cYou take the helmet off, and no one leads with their head anymore,\u201d Dr Neary says. \u201cIt\u2019s instinct. You protect yourself better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\nA gridiron football player stands holding his helmet, photo courtesy of Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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But what happens when the symptoms stick around?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is where new research from Dr Neary and his team of specialists has started to turn heads and possibly save lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With support from the NFL, they are studying the effects of CBD and THC on post-concussion symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had athletes take up to 4000mg of CBD per day with no issues,\u201d Dr Neary says. \u201cCombine that with THC, and we\u2019re seeing real, positive effects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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