Who would have thought?
The evidence seems to indicate that getting your bell rung or being
lit up a bit could be worse for you than you might think. MMA is an
aggressive sport, where toughness is held in the highest record. An
athlete can be a total dunger skill wise but if he is tough he/she will
be respected to a degree.
With our fight team guys we have an environment where weakness is
not tolerated. Those who sit out rounds of sparring are encouraged to
“man the fuck up”. Those complaining or bring in a negative attitude
are usually ridiculed and injuries need to be pretty serious before
anyone takes notice.
Note: the above description is what the pro fighters get to experience. We are much more friendly and helpful to everyone else.
This environment has bred the countries top fighters in pretty much
every weight class. Sparring in this environment can be intense,
physically demanding and really freaking sore. In the past we have had
guys getting dropped, KOed and dazed. This is never the aim of the
sparring but has occured as a consequence of this environment. I am
sure we have had concussions in the past and I am increasingly
concerned for what the long term effects could be
Check ou theses stories for some scary stuff
or
Head Games
Having read Christopher Nowinski’s book about the concussion crisis
in American Football, Head Games, I started to think about the long
term effects of getting regularly punched in the face.
The books premise was that concussions are bad news. Multiple
concussions are really bad and getting concussed while having symptoms
of a previous concussion is really freaking unhelpful.
Using anecdotal evidence and autopsy reports we start to see why so
many Boxers, American footballers etc are changed by their careers. The
suggested effects range from memory impairment to personality disorders
from migraines to depression and oh yeah being dead.
Muhammad Ali has Parkinsons Disease and he was freaking awesome,
spare a thought for all the other guys on the lower rungs who had to
fight the best facial punchers in the world.
What is a Concussion?
If I where to ask any of the guys at my gym if they had ever been
concussed I dont think I would find 10 guys saying yes. If I asked the
same people how many of you have been “KOed”, “dropped”, “Rattled” or
“sparked” the number may be higher.
The problem is in the defination and diagnosis. Unless there is a
loss of consciousness or memory loss a concussion is hard to spot.
Symptoms
A concussion results from a significant blow to the head. Symptoms can range from mild to severe. They can include:
- Headache
- Memory loss (amnesia) of events surrounding the injury
- Loss of conciousness
- Sensation of being Stunned
- Wooziness
- Blurred vision
- Unsteadiness
- Cognitive dysfunction
- Lethargy
- Personality change
- Convulsions
- Unusual fatigue
- Muscle weakness on one or both sides
- Persistent confusion
- Persistent unconsciousness (coma)
- Repeated vomiting
- Unequal pupils
- Unusual eye movements
- Walking problems
If any of this has occured after taking head shots chances are that you may be dealing with a concussion.
PART 2