Over the past three years, I have written several blogs about preventing falls in the home. (The most recent blog was posted on September 20, 2012, to honor National Falls Prevention Awareness Day. To read that blog, click here: National Falls Prevention Awareness Day). After years of researching information for Health & Safety blogs, I […]
"My Mother’s Head Is So Hard…": First-Hand Lessons From a Fall Read More »
For Eastern Oregon University student and softball pitcher Holly Martin, February 25, 2010 was both the luckiest and unluckiest day of her life. On that day, she suffered a life-threatening, life-changing head injury. Given the reported lack of care she received after the injury, Holly was lucky to survive. According to an article in an
Oregon Softball Player Sues Over Brain Injury Read More »
Three months ago, we wrote a blog about how some folks were calling to ban fighting in major league hockey. The call for action came on the heels of three deaths: 35-year-old Wade Belak, who committed suicide; 27-year-old Rick Rypien, who was found dead in his home; and 28-year-old Derek Boogaard, who died from an
Hockey Enforcer Had Brain Damage Read More »
A new product is the latest tool to combat sports concussions. The Impact Indicator (by manufacturer Battle) is a chin strap that connects to a player’s helmet. It measures the force and duration of a hit to the head: When first connected, the impact indicator LED light on the chin is green…but after a hard
New Helmet Device May Cut Down on Concussions Read More »
The post-game video review was especially difficult at John C. Birdlebough High School. Administrators and coaches examined every frame of what will forever be known as “THE game.” The game when 16-year-old Ridge Barden died. According to an article in The New York Times, the coroner ruled that Barden’s death was due to a brain
Another High School Football Death Read More »
Can motherhood cause brain injury? Yes… indirectly. An article in the Deseret News recounts the experience of mom Erin Stewart, whose preschooler gave her a concussion: Motherhood is rough. I’m not talking about emotions here. I’m talking physically rough. I’m talking just-got-back-from-the-doctor-with-a-minor-concussion rough. Seriously. My preschooler gave me a concussion. In what will forever be
Can Motherhood Cause Brain Injury? Read More »
In Canada, kids pick up an ice hockey stick about the same time American kids pick up a Wiffle ball bat. They get their first pair of ice skates not long after they start walking. From Vancouver to Nova Scotia, Winnipeg to Yellowknife, hockey is the national sport of our northern neighbor. So you can
A Call to Ban Hockey Fights Read More »
Derek Sheely, a 22-year-old fullback playing for Frostburg State University in Maryland, died on Sunday, a week after passing out during a routine practice. He did not have a heart condition or any other chronic disorder. Although his father doesn’t know exactly what happened, he asserts that Derek died of severe head trauma. According to
College Football Player Dies from Severe Head Trauma Read More »
On July 21, 2011, we posted a blog about the lawsuit brought by former pro football players against the National Football League (NFL) for concealing information about the harmful effects of concussion from players, coaches, and trainers. And not only did the NFL drop the ball (pun intended) on its duty to inform players of
Football Players Demand Better Health Monitoring Read More »
His career is not well known here in the United States, but his pain may someday have an effect on the treatment of sports head injuries. Last Friday (July 8, 2011) Canadian Football Hall of Famer Matt Dunigan gave an emotional televised interview about his personal fight with post-concussion syndrome. The story was reported on
Another Sports Star Talks About Concussion Effects Read More »