Contact Sports and Concussions
Usually, when a sports fan thinks of athletes who might sustain a concussion, they think of football players, hockey players, or athletes of other contact sports. Baseball is not a contact sport, but the rules of baseball allow for an almost tackle like slide between the catcher and runner sliding into home plate.
The Seven-Day Concussion List
During the 2013 season, about a dozen catchers (including Joe Mauer) were put on the seven-day concussion list due to head injuries. After Joe Mauer sustained a concussion on August 19, 2013, he was unable to continue playing due to post-concussion syndrome symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, and irritability. The concern has become so widespread that USA Today wrote an article on the rise of head injuries in catchers throughout the MLB.
Throughout that same year, 18 teams placed players on the disabled list due to concussions or head injuries, and 10 of those 18 cases were catchers. That is an increase from 13 teams the previous year and seven more than in 2011, when the seven-day concussion list was put into effect.
In a statement by Dioner Navarro of the Toronto Bluejays, he said, “I guarantee you there are some guys playing with concussions now because they feel like it’s not serious and they can just keep playing.” Navarro speaks from experience when he says, “The one thing we know now is concussions are serious injuries and you can’t mess around with them.” That’s so true, but sometimes t’s not easy to get an athlete to take their focus off of that next win or title and think about their long-term health.
The Rising Risks of Concussions
In recent years, the potential of athletes in contact sports sustaining post-concussion syndrome or other injuries due to head traumas has come into the light more and more. The rules of those sports are changing at all levels, but the possibilities of an athlete sustaining such an injury seem to be increasing.
Thankfully, there is something an athlete can do to ensure better health. They can seek out the care of an upper cervical chiropractor, who is able to examine their upper neck vertebrae for any misalignments that may be the underlying cause of their post-concussion syndrome or other head or neck related injuries.
If they find any misalignments, they will make any necessary adjustments to those two vertebrae, thus allowing for better communication between the brain and the body. This will potentially alleviate symptoms of post-concussion syndrome, which are likely caused because of the brain’s inability to communicate with the body.
