03/26/2016 #564: Knowns and Unknowns on the Brain
Dr. Brad Bellard joins Dr. Souryal for this Easter Weekend edition with special guest: sportscaster Dale Hansen. The doctors start off discussing the controversial link between CTE and football and other susceptibilities that may affect outcomes. Then a concerned mother of a 19 year old lacrosse player calls in. Her son had his first “mild” concussion and still has symptoms six weeks later. She wonders if he should play or not, now or after more time to heal? Hard to know! Later in the hour, Dale Hansen continues the conversation on the issues surrounding longterm brain trauma and the risks to football players in particular. Along the same lines, a father describes his daughter’s head injury during a softball game that led to a longer road to recovery than expected, and the unhelpful attitudes she encountered.
Inside Sports Medicine relies on great listeners asking great questions which leads to valuable conversations. A 40 year old basketball player suffered a complete rupture of his patellar tendon a year ago and asks when he can get back to full range. A 32 year old has a herniated disc in his neck, already limits his activities, and is working through his options before considering surgery. A golfer wonders how to tell if his shoulder injury is a rotator cuff tear – without going to a doctor, that is. Another caller asks why it is so difficult to do exercises that don’t use the ACL right after ACL surgery. A mechanic has started to notice some numbness or aching in his hands while working that could be arthritis.
Another hopping good show!