Holy crap....

"BKosher84" (bkosher84)
09/02/2016 at 11:11 • Filed to: None

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Concussions are nothing to push aside people.. They are a real problem. It’s a shame the NFL doesn’t see it that way.. I’m glad that HMS and Dale Jr’s doctors do...

DISCUSSION (13)

Jcarr > BKosher84
09/02/2016 at 11:14

Call me an overprotective parent, but this is precisely why I will not let my kid play football. It simply isn’t worth it.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > BKosher84
09/02/2016 at 11:17

Did he actually hit his head so hard that it is taking this long to heal? Or is he making a statement by taking the rest of the season off to allow it to heal to well past the point at which he would be cleared? I support taking the proper precautions to prevent future damage but this seems a bit odd.

For Sweden > BKosher84
09/02/2016 at 11:18

Filipe Massa to the #88 confirmed.

Wheelerguy > BKosher84
09/02/2016 at 11:26

Real talk: motorsports have seen worse than armored rugby, and seen it more often, and therefore, would be much, much more inclined to do whatever it takes to make their sport as safe as they can make it while still keeping the exciting risks. They understand it better than the NFL because the FIA has been through hell and back. Literally.

shop-teacher > BKosher84
09/02/2016 at 11:30

I’m glad Jr. has his priorities together and realizes that chasing wins and championships just isn’t worth risking your health and well-being. I don’t watch NASCAR anymore, but he always came across as a good dude.

Batman the Horse > BKosher84
09/02/2016 at 11:47

That’s one helluva concussion.

Future next gen S2000 owner > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
09/02/2016 at 11:57

He has had multiple concussions in the past. Last year he missed a few after one, this seems to be a compounding issue.

Future next gen S2000 owner > BKosher84
09/02/2016 at 12:01

To be fair, there is a difference of having the required reaction times required for 160+ mph in a pack where you can literally kill someone else. In the NFL, you can’t really hurt someone else if you have a concussion that messes you up.

I’m glad he is stepping back though. He is set for life and I won’t fault anyone for prioritizing their health.

jvirgs drives a Subaru > BKosher84
09/02/2016 at 12:04

Depending on what happens over the off season, there is a good possibility that he will retire sooner rather than later.

jvirgs drives a Subaru > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
09/02/2016 at 12:06

It’s not that he hit is head hard, it was the jarring side to side movement that has caused it. He was having blurred vision and balance issues which started occurring a few weeks after his Michigan. He’s said this have taken a while to clear up under normal situations but was still having issues in situations of high stress/anxiety

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
09/02/2016 at 14:36

TL;DR - Yes, concussions can take this long to heal and there is no way to determine a time frame for complete recovery.

Concussions are nasty injuries. The problem is that there is really no way to predict how long it will take for your brain to heal and the symptoms to end. You break a leg, and you know it will be 6-8 weeks and they can take x-rays to check the progress. There is no imaging or any other test to check the severity of a concussion, it is all based on the symptoms after the fact.

I’ve had several concussions and they aren’t anything to mess around with. The last one I had left me fucked up for months afterwards. I took a hard hit from behind into the boards playing hockey. Things felt fucked up immediately after the hit, but not really like I even got my bell rung or anything. I was conscious the whole time and never felt dizzy or anything. The next morning I woke up to the worst migraine of my life. Ibuprofen didn’t touch it, but by this time it was late Friday afternoon. Monday I still had the horrible migraine so finally made a doctors appointment. Unsurprisingly it was diagnosed as a concussion / post concussion syndrome. The doctor said to stay off the ice and avoid any strenuous activity until all the symptoms were gone.

The first week was the worst. If I turned my head at all it resulted in instant nausea. Turning my head felt like my eyes were only loosely attached and it would take a few seconds for the vision to catch up with where my head was pointing. After the first week the nausea went away and the migraines went from constant to about every day or two. A month later I finally started playing hockey again because I hadn’t had a migraine in a while and hadn’t had even a headache in a few days.

It wasn’t until about 2-3 months after the hit that I realized I finally felt 100% and had gotten back on the ice way too soon. I had still been having headaches and migraines way more frequently than normal, but hadn’t really noticed it until after hockey was done and I finally finished healing. Sitting around and doing the daily routine didn’t cause problems, but strenuous activity or anything that was stressful or mentally taxing almost guaranteed that I would be taking ibuprofen for a headache.

Fortunately I didn’t do any more damage by getting back into things too soon. In retrospect I should have scheduled a follow up with my doctor when I started to think I was feeling better. Probably having someone ask me about the status of my symptoms would have made me realize that I was still actually having symptoms.

Dale Jr. is definitely receiving more follow up treatment than I ever bothered with or even had access to. The article states that he is having periodic check ups with a neurologist and surely they have developed some cognitive tests to determine mental status. Continuous monitoring of his symptoms by professionals makes it less likely that he will self diagnose as being symptom free. While it is likely that the doctor will err on the side of caution over rushing him back into a car, if they say he is not cleared to race I would trust their judgement. Nothing about the situation strikes me as Earnhardt making a statement, nor does it seem odd in terms of recovery from a concussion.

I more closely follow hockey than NASCAR, and it is not uncommon for players to miss huge amounts of time due to concussions. Multiple players have missed full seasons and some have had careers cut short due to concussions.

Dusty Ventures > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
09/02/2016 at 22:45

If you saw his press conference at Watkins Glen you’d know if he were cleared to be back in the car he’d be in it that very day. Not racing is eating him up inside.

Dusty Ventures > Batman the Horse
09/02/2016 at 22:47

The problem is the way they tend to multiply. The more you’ve had the more likely the next one is to be severe and the more long term damage is done