An interview with physical therapist Justin J Ho PT, DPT, CSCS, about delivering physical therapy to concussion patients via telehealth.

An interview with physical therapist Joe Mahon about delivering physical therapy to concussion patients via telehealth. Mr. Mahon is offering free telehealth sessions while #shelter-in-place orders are in effect.

A collection of recent newsletter articles about exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, as a form of therapy or treatment for concussions or persistent post-concussion syndrome.

Since the Iranian strike on the U.S. base in Iraq, the reported mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) from the strike have steadily increased, and the number is now up to 109. There is no objective test for mTBI, and diagnosis can be problematic. There is concern that these injuries can lead to long-term symptoms for about 20%, and also could lead to long-term neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers are working on identifying biomarkers to use for diagnosis.

A recent article published by Forbes discusses a study by Zachary Y. Kerr et al. that explored differences in concussion risk for high school athletes based on the sport and gender of the players. Among “sex-comparable” sports, they found that concussion rates, as well as the proportions of recurrent concussions, were higher in girls than in boys.

A study by Todd W. Lyons et al. published in Frontiers of Neurology found racial differences in emergency room visits for children with sports-related head injuries.

Part of Harvard’s Football Players Health Study found an association between concussions suffered while playing in the NFL and low testosterone and erectile dysfunction later in life. Head trauma injuries to the pituitary gland likely cause low testosterone levels, and the authors believe that the results have implications for everyone who has experienced a head injury.

The Journal of Pediatric Psychology recently published a study by Charlotte Gagner et al. that documents how mTBI in early childhood can lead to changes in externalizing behaviors (actions towards others) and internalizing behaviors (attitudes towards the self) overtime.

SuperBetter, an app designed to help people build personal resilience through gameplay, is currently offering their Concussion Power Packs for free. The Power Packs are daily activities that can be played in the app and guide users through their recovery with power-ups, bad guys, and quests. They were developed for a clinical trial examining the impact of using the app.

Melissa Martin, a former cheerleader at the University of California at Berkeley, has filed a lawsuit against the school, her coaches, and USA Cheer, for negligent treatment after being diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome.

A Washington Post article by James Ludden and Eben Novy-Williams discusses the impacts of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in sports. They also point out inconsistencies in the public’s reaction to CTE risk.

In a study published in Annals of Neurology, authors Jesse Mez et al. examined the brains of deceased athletes for evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and found that the risk of CTE approximately doubled for every 2.6 years spent playing American football.

An article published in Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach demonstrates that giving athletes the skills necessary to report a concussion could be a useful way to address the issue of under-reported concussions.

Since TBIs are not studied as a domestic violence issue, clinicians are often unprepared for disclosures of domestic violence and may attribute survivors’ concussion-like symptoms to mental illness or trauma from abuse. Meanwhile, many of the organizations aimed at helping survivors of domestic violence are not prepared to help with TBIs.

According to Medscape, a study found the "risk for developing MS overtime nearly doubled in this population compared with people without a history of concussion."

A $2.2 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allowed researchers at Case Western Reserve University to study how to assist students who are recovering from TBIs to return to school and funding programs such as the Return to Learn program in Washington state.

A clinical report in Pediatrics by Andrew Watson et al., generated by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness discusses risk factors and prevention tactics for youth injuries in soccer.

In an interview for Contemporary Pediatrics, two doctors discuss some effective treatments for dealing with concussion symptoms in children.

Given that collisions from heading are the main cause of concussions in soccer, the University of Washington Sports Institute saw a need for a program to help teach youth soccer players better heading techniques. As a result, they launched the Aerial program in collaboration with a former professional player and another organization.

Currently, patients are not tested for traumatic brain injuries in forensic nursing exams following domestic violence, strangulation, or rape. However, according to a study in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma conducted by Bridget Ralston et al. from the University of Arizona, testing for TBIs could help victims seek and receive proper medical care.