Returning early to field poses risks for Tebow

U. Florida, Gainesville, FL, Sep 30, 2009 (Independent Florida Alligator/UWire via COMTEX) -- WWE | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- It is still unsure how long Tim Tebow will be out after suffering a concussion, but if he tries to rush back to playing, he could be recovering from the hit for a lot longer than just a couple of days.

Although he might feel fine while playing, Tebow could be more susceptible to a long-lasting injury from a big hit to the head if he tries to play before he should."Trying to push through a concussion would be counterproductive," said former World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.(WWE) wrestler Chris Nowinski, also a founding member of the Sports Legacy Institute, which studies the impact of sports concussion. "Unfortunately, concussions don't have the same feedback system as other injuries, so you don't feel classic pain like you do with a sprained ankle or broken bone. And you don't realize how bad you are hurting your brain when you try to push through it."The brain is in a window of vulnerability and going back too soon can cause some real severe problems."The most extreme scenario would be suffering second-impact syndrome, which results in death. There have been few documented cases of this, according to Jason Mihalik, an athletic trainer from the University of North Carolina and an author of a study in the Journal of Athletic Training on sports concussions.More commonly though, a person who plays too soon will worsen the symptoms he already feels, or he could suffer another concussion. Another issue for student-athletes in particular is the risk of seriously affecting their ability to concentrate in classes.The best way to prevent any further harm from a concussion is to closely monitor the player. There are certain things most training staffs will look for before allowing the athlete to participate again."Typically, we want the athlete to be symptom free at rest, so someone waking up not performing an activity is symptom-free. That would be at the very minimum," Mihalik said. "What we do here (UNC) is we make sure the athlete is not only symptom free at rest, but we also want to make sure they are symptom free with exertion."The Florida staff has already taken some of the right steps by doing preseason tests to determine what the player is like at his normal state, known as a baseline.This can help verify when a player is ready to return to the field.Nowinski said it is important not to set a timetable for the player's return -- something the Gators' staff hasn't done -- and it is important for Tebow to be truthful to the training staff about how he is feeling.If Tebow is able to play at LSU on Oct. 10, he must continue to be honest with the staff about how he feels otherwise it is difficult to tell if something is wrong."Unfortunately, there is no real standard," Mihalik said. "It is not like he sprained a ligament and you can take an MRI. There is nothing like that for a concussion which is why it is such a big issue to manage."Unless Tebow is forgetting plays or seems lost on the field, it will be hard for anyone besides him to notice if he still has symptoms from a concussion.Tebow has played most of his career at Florida hurt. In 2007, he played through a shoulder injury that required pain-killing shots.The injury resurfaced in the season opener in 2008. Tebow has also played through a broken right hand, a sprained ankle and a hyper-extended knee.But in this case, it is not about playing through pain.UF coach Urban Meyer said he explained that to Tebow, and he has handled it well.Nowinski, whose wrestling career ended because of a concussion, can offer some tips for signs to look out for while playing not fully healed."When my blood pressure raised along with my heart rate, I would get throbbing headaches. I would feel fatigued. I would feel nauseous. My memory wasn't as good, so when I was wrestling, I would forget parts of matches that I would never use to forget," Nowinski said.Research has proven that people who suffer a concussion are more likely to experience another especially if they return too soon.But for Nowinski, it isn't just the idea that Tebow could suffer another concussion that should make the training staff cautious, it is how playing before he should could affect him down the road."It is the idea that returning too soon could lead to exacerbated symptoms," Nowinski said, "so he may find that if (he) returns too soon he will be worried about long-term damage to his brain and also, creating what could have been a short injury into one that costs him the season."

http://alligator.org/articles/2009/09/30/sports/football/090930_foot.txt

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