Concussions

beyond a month,” Leddy said.

In the wake of concussion-related scandals in the NFL, many have debated the safety of sports like football and questioned whether leagues like the NFL are doing enough to treat concussions. Leddy says he thinks concussion protocols in the NCAA and the NFL are good — they just need to be enforced.

Research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is at the case series stage, “the lowest form of scientific evidence,” according to Leddy.

He also mentioned that, to his knowledge, occasional concussions from playing sports in high school or college is unlikely to lead to negative long term effects. He

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 added that it’s repeated impacts to the head over many years that tend to increase risk of developing CTE.

But adolescents suffer the most from concussions in terms of what it does for their daily life, especially because they have a longer recovery time than adults.

“Nobody’s quite sure why that is,” Leddy said. “I’m sure it has to do with brain development and blood flow and hormones.”

Concussions take students out of sports and school, which can cause student athletes to feel depressed, especially if their symptoms are prolonged.

Everyone heals differently and everyone’s body is different, which means that some people can heal in days, while for others it can take months. There are many factors that go into this, according to Bratta and Leddy, including age, pre-existing conditions and previous concussions.

When treating student athletes, there is a “return-to-play protocol,” which includes limited activity, followed by light aerobic activity, sport specific exercises without head involvement, practicing but without contact, unrestricted training and finally a full return to sport.

There is also a “return-to-learn protocol” for students who have trouble sitting in class or taking tests with concussion symptoms. This involves an individual plan with doctors and academic advisors.

“The brain heals at its own pace, but we want to make sure that the brain heals the way it’s supposed to so that they can still be a student and still have a life,” Bratta said.

With new research, protocols, treatment and education, concussions — while serious — aren’t always as scary as they seemed in the past.

“The general public should know that a concussion is an injury to the brain that has to be respected,” Leddy said. “But if you see someone early enough and get the right approach, you can actually improve recovery and you don’t have to wait around until all your symptoms just go away.”