Kim Gorgens, a neuropsychologist at the University of Denver, presented her findings recently at the TEDxDU conference in Denver. (Her complete presentation is nine minutes long, and well worth watching.) Gorgens found that football players specifically absorb some 103 Gs of force when they’re concussed. (To put that into context, one G is the normal force of gravity we experience, and nine Gs is the feeling that fighter pilots of supersonic jets may feel, albeit without the added perk of blunt force that football players get.) She also highlighted the fact that young athletes often experience brain trauma that can be three times more damaging than relative concussions suffered by the more developed brains of adults.

These findings come as the House of Representatives prepares to possibly vote next week on the Concussion Treatment and Care Tools Act, sponsored by Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), which calls for the creation of a panel that will issue national guidelines for diagnosing and managing concussion in young athletes up to age 18. It would also direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to “require states to utilize, to the extent practicable, applicable expertise and services offered by local chapters of national brain injury organizations.”

The severity of concussions, both in the short- and long-term, has been an oft-discussed topic in recent months, with the NFL finally opening up about the concussion-related risks associated with football. Although, look at the Philadelphia Eagles’ Stewart Bradley from his team’s season-opening game against the Green Bay Packers. What’s not surprising is that Bradley suffered a concussion. That, we recognize now, is a risk of playing football.

What is surprising that he went back into the game afterward, showing that there is still much education to be done with athletes, doctors, teams, and fans alike.

Photo: AP/Miles Kennedy

Follow us on Twitter at @erikmal and @wiredplaybook and on Facebook.

Authors: Erik Malinowski

to know more click here