In 1,000 games or training sessions, 1.58 concussions are counted, as sports physician Dr. Maxim Grosclaude explains in an interview with RTS. Normally, in 80 to 90 percent of all cases, concussion symptoms disappear within seven days.
However, players who are battling a severe concussion occasionally seek treatment at a special center in Atlanta. The method practiced there is now also available in Europe. In the following interview, Claude Martinet will explain the term “concussion” in more detail and provide additional information about this special kind of treatment and its availability in Europe.
Claude Martinet, recently, concussions in ice hockey seem to get a lot of attention. Do you think we are more aware of them or do they indeed happen more frequently?
In the last decade, the game became faster and the muscle mass of the players has increased. These two elements combined with rigid boards (except for three ice rinks in Switzerland which have flexible boards) can only increase the number of concussions (even if the bigger number of concussions is resulting from hits in the neutral zone).
We are also more conscious about the after-effects that one or several concussions can have on a player. We know scientifically that multiple concussions can bring neuro-degenerative diseases like Parkinson, Alzheimer, etc. In the United States, the number of professional NHL and NFL athletes suffering from depression, memory loss, etc. has been released in the news.
We always hear the term “concussion.” How do you explain this term to someone without medical training and what happens in our brain when we do suffer one?
The concussion is an injury to the brain due to a violent shock to your head or repetitive small shocks. The impact can jolt your brain and make your brain function abnormally.
The symptoms can be diverse. They go from headaches to dizziness, to confusion, to sensitivity to light or noise, to balance or concentration issues, to memory loss, to vision disturbance, etc. The best advice after a confirmed or suspected concussion is to rest for three to four days, which means limiting activities that require attention and concentration. Symptoms can sometimes be perceived 24 or 48 hours after the hit.
What is the standard treatment or procedure following such an injury? And why do recovery times differ so much from case to case?
The first thing to do is to get a diagnosis which will provide a clear medical response to the injury. In the majority of the cases, the player gets an MRI to ensure there is no blood spillage. Then, the treatments differ from one doctor to another, from one therapy to another, and of course from player to player. Each case is different and there is no magical formula to say how long a brain will require to heal completely. The length of the healing will depend on the injury, on the accumulation of hits and concussions, the age of the player, etc.
Oftentimes, we hear about Swiss players who seek treatment for their concussions overseas in a special center in Atlanta. What is different about this method and this approach, which may soon be available in a center in Europe as well?
This therapy, called Functional Neurology, has been developed by Dr. Ted Carrick in the USA and is derived from existing medical literature, which has been in publication and evolution of application for 30 years or more. This therapy has cured Sidney Crosby and thousands of hockey players around the world, including Swiss players.
This therapy, which is non-invasive (no medication, no surgery) looks mainly at your balance and your eye movements to see which part of the brain works and which one is not working or at least not properly. The treatments, mainly based on eye exercises and electro-stimulations, give their best results over five intensive days. While we treat the symptoms linked to a concussion, we rehabilitate all brain functions, such as coordination, concentration, vision, memory, etc. In a nutshell, we can eliminate the symptoms of your concussion and bring your brain functions to their optimal capacities. Sometimes, it takes more than one week of treatment to get rid of symptoms, even if we provide exercises to do home after the intensive week.
The “Functional Neurology”-therapy is now also available in Europe. Every 2 months, in collaboration with TESTmyBRAIN, US doctors from Atlanta are coming to Gouda in the Netherlands to provide the same diagnoses and treatments. The Center is open for all hockey players (amateurs, pros, young), for all athletes and also for all people suffering from a central nervous system disease (Parkinson, Alzheimer, ADHD, stroke, migraines, etc.)
The next treatment weeks in the Netherlands will be:
From Wednesday, March 16 to Sunday, March 20, 2016
From Wednesday, May 11 to Sunday, May 15, 2016
** 5 days of treatment **
The next diagnoses week in France (10 min from Geneva airport) will be:
From Saturday, April 2 to Wednesday, April 6, 2016
** 3 hours of testing and consultation**
Information and subscription: Claude Martinet 079 446 26 62 or
