Head injuries, such as the concussion sustained Sunday by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, are a scary reminder of the human body's limitations for millionaire professional athletes.
"Knock on wood, just one bad one," Cooke said Monday of his concussion history. "I got caught off guard with an elbow to the chin, hit my face on the ice when I fell and I was out.
"It's something as an athlete you don't really think of, but if you sit back and watch another sport or watch your sport after you are done playing, you think, 'Holy cow! I'm surprised how (violent) that looks.'"
Cooke attended the NFL game between the Steelers and Cleveland Browns with his children. The sight of Roethlisberger strapped to a stretcher, his head and neck immobilized, as a medical crew transported him to an ambulance, provided Cooke with a reminder of thoughts he will strive to avoid when the Penguins face the Boston Bruins tonight at Mellon Arena.
"I've never once thought about injuries," Cooke said. "Not until after they've happened, at least."
Concussions are on the rise in the NHL. A study by the Orange County Register prior to the 2007-'08 season determined league players missed 760 games in 2006-'07 due to concussions and related symptoms.
In Boston last week, Dr. Robert Cantu related to Bergeron that “99 percent” of NHL players would have similarly suffered a significant concussion in the manner of collision that saw the side of Bergeron’s face smack into the unforgiving shoulder pads of Dennis Seidenberg with such violent force.
Cantu’s statement was meant to assure Bergeron that his second concussion wasn’t the sign of a player that’s becoming more and more susceptible to head injuries and hockey dings.
What it really was, was an affirmation that blows to the chin/jaw, are related to a new origin of concussion recently identified by military research. The finding is important because many such brain injuries have been missed in the past, especially when more severe or obvious wounds demanded attention.
Military researchers report observations recognizing this "new origin" of concussion in a letter in to the New England Journal of Medicine.
Diagnosing brain injury, especially mild damage, is based largely on subjective symptoms like irritability and forgetfulness. Imaging tests like CAT scans do not help, and neurological function tests are not very useful without baseline information. All methods in place today, other than helmets, do nothing to protect our youth and professionals real time.
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