PAL hosts forum on brain trauma and concussions

Westport PAL is a leader in the region and the nation in opening up a dialogue on brain trauma and concussions in sports that occurs at an alarming rate with our young people. Not only is PALdiscussing this issue, it is also implementing numerous actions in all the youth sports in Westport to reduce and one day eliminate this problem.

Making another trip to Westport to present his findings and recommendations at a forum at Saugatuck Elementary School on Monday night was Chris Nowinski, co-founder and President of The Sports Legacy Institute. He is also Co-Director, Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, Boston University School of Medicine and the author of a definitive study of this serious problem, Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis.

Nowinski's interest and advocacy in this problem came from first-hand experience with concussions. He was an All-Ivy League lineman at Harvard University and after graduating became a professional wrestler with the WWE's Monday Night RAW wrestling program. After being named Rookie of the Year in the WWE and the youngest male "Hardcore Champion" in WWE history, Nowinski suffered a career ending concussion in 2003. His own biography tells the rest of the story:

After he was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, Chris began a quest to better understand this condition. It wasn't until he visited his eighth doctor, the renowned neurosurgeon Robert Cantu that Chris first learned the reason he wasn't bouncing back from his concussion was that he had been suffering undiagnosed concussions regularly throughout his football and wrestling careers, and the cumulative damage seemed to have finally caught up with him. Through his own efforts he also discovered research linking multiple concussions with serious long-term neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease, memory impairment, and depression -- information that had not been made available to athletes. He found that throughout sports, there is a startling lack of awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of these injuries that threatens the health and well-being of athletes of all ages. This led Chris to write the book, Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis, published in 2006, in an effort to educate parents, coaches, and children about this serious public health issue.

Westport PAL has been studying this issue for four years now and asks Nowinski to visit as many as four times a year. PAL President of Football and Cheerleading and Director of Youth Sports, Carmen Roda was alerted to the problem by a parent who worked at the WWE and strongly recommended that Roda read Nowinski's book, Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis. That was enough to kick Roda into action with PAL football.

"I realized we were doing some things with our kids that were strongly recommended against," Roda said. "We reduced the direct hitting in practice and started looking into the equipment we use."

Roda added, "While all coaches and trainers are required to know first aid and CPR, we felt that wasn't enough. They all must attend Chris' seminars each year and understand more about concussions and brain trauma."

PAL has extended this knowledge to all the Westport youth sports for boys and girls; Little League, PAL Lacrosse, softball and soccer and of course, football. It also puts its money behind this most important effort to the tune of $40,000 a year.

New this year, PAL football will have a certified trainer with concussion experience at all football practices, Monday through Friday. Part of this trainer's time will be spent with coaches and players on stretching exercises and imparting more information on the symptoms of concussions. About $20,000 will go into the annual re-certification of equipment. Most programs do this every few years but in Westport PAL football it will done every year. Also, every player will be given a "Shock Doctor" mouth guard and chin strap that the experts say help in the reduction of the shock to the head on hits. PAL is also paying to have coaches trained in the proper and safest fitting of equipment, an area that has been overlooked in the past.

Roda says that lack of education is the biggest problem they currently face. Coaches, trainers, players and parents must all become more knowledgeable about brain trauma. With youth sports starting at such early ages now, the long term potential for serious brain injury is dramatically increased. Concussions are not like any other injury; you can't see it; you can't feel it right away; and the player may actually not feel that bad at the time. It's up to fellow players, coaches and trainers to understand the symptoms and call for help when they're spotted. Some symptoms don't show up for days and can only be spotted at home or in class.

In addition to the PAL website (www.westortpal.org), other important resources available can be found at www.cdc.gov/concussions and www.sportslegacy.org. Everyone involved with youth sports are encouraged to learn more about brain trauma and concussions.