Exercise, the Hippocampus and Post-traumatic Brain Injury

According to the CDC ~1.6 million to 3.8 million concussions / year.   5-10% of these concussions are accounted for by athletes during their season.

The CDC states  <10% have LOC with American Football and boxing being the highest “at risk”  group.  However male soccer players vs. female soccer players accounted for the highest percentage in their sport.

In the journal Brain: a Journal of Neurology reports of post concussion therapy documented that the flow of cerebrospinal fluid is dramatically impeded with a malpositioned C1 vertebra and that correction of that malposition normalizes/improves that flow. Abnormal cerebrospinal fluid flow is an easy causation to correlate with post-concussion symptoms and the fact that a concussion is a trauma-induced condition, it is easy to correlate the possibility of that trauma causing a malposition of the C1 vertebra.

In addition to that, the C1 malposition has been implicated in causing abnormal blood flow through the vertebral arteries (the primary blood supply to the midbrain).

Hyperbaric O2 therapy is reaching great markers for cognitive improvement.

Literature review promotes better evaluation of status to be back on the field as well as improved nutritional support to Block COX 1-3.  Using Fish Oil (4:1), Resvertrol ( trans form) Curcumin and green tea in addition or instead of Asprin, Ibuprofen and/or Napoxen.

Future play and recovery requires a healthy immune system.  Utilizing things like Probiotics, Vitamin D, b-Glucans and Exercise has shown improved recovery results.  Specifically exercise and brain stimulation have decreased rates of depression, alcohol abuse and co-morbid cognitive health concerns during the 18 years post trauma.  In fact, both exercise and caffeine have benefits in improving BDNF, a brain growth factor, when compared to standard SSRI’s and Tricyclics.