Brain Center
For Medical Professionals
Tenth Annual Sports-Related Conference on Concussion and Spine Injury
Friday, May 17, 2013
If you assess or care for athletes with concussion or spinal injuries, join us for this multidisciplinary conference. Hear the best practices of foremost experts in neurology, neurosurgery, sports medicine, athletic training, nursing, neuropsychology and more. Talks will be followed by in-depth breakout sessions. CME credits are available.
Location:
Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at the Harvard Medical School
77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115
Course directors:
- Mark R. Proctor, MD, Director, Brain Injury Center, Boston Children’s Hospital
- William Meehan, MD, Director, Sports Concussion Clinic, Boston Children’s Hospital
- Alex Taylor, PsyD, Director, Neuropsychology, Brain Injury Center, Boston Children’s Hospital
- Robert Cantu, MD, Chief, Neurosurgery, Emerson Hospital; Senior Advisor, Brain Injury Center, Boston Children’s Hospital
Click here to download the conference brochure and CME information.
Click here to register online.
Read below for highlights of last year’s conference.
The Ninth Annual Sports-Related Conference on Concussion and Spine Injury
Highlights from last year's conference:
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Recovery has many factors, not just rest According to Alex M. Taylor, PsyD, clinical neuropsychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, proper rest after a concussion is essential, but it’s not the only factor affecting recovery; it’s also influenced by the athletes themselves. Past concussions, exertion post-concussion, learning disabilities, even psychological factors can make recovery time longer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has an excellent guide on concussions for schools. |
All neck muscles are not created equal
Taylor also noted that girls show more cognitive problems after concussion than boys, perhaps because their necks aren’t as strong. Robert C. Cantu, MD, from Emerson Hospital and Ann McKee, MD, from New England VA Medical Center recommend, “Strengthen your neck…hope you’ve got the right genetics.”
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Headaches aren’t the only indicator of concussion While headaches are the most common concussion symptom, they don’t always correlate with the severity of the concussion. Normal CT and MRI findings prompted Ellen Grant, MD, Director of Fetal and Neonatal Neuroimaging Research at Boston Children’s Hospital, to develop advanced imaging techniques to detect subtle concussion effects that may contribute to fatigue, inattention and memory problems. |
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Why young athletes shouldn’t just “tough it out” After a sports-related concussion, 20 to 30 percent of athletes report being symptom-free before their brain studies show that function is actually back to normal. NFL player Ted Johnson and NHL player Dan LaCouture spoke of how the culture of their respective sports increased the pressure to play after concussions.
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Affecting emotion as well as memory Once believed to just cause short-term memory problems, concussions are now linked to irritability, aggressiveness, paranoia, dementia, depression, even suicide. Many former contact-sport athletes have experienced these difficulties. Ann McKee, MD, showed slides of the atrophied brains of deceased former NFL players with a brain disorder called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE.) |
