A Little “Ding” Is No Little Thing!

A “ding” may be more serious than expected. After a “ding” on the field, shook-up athletes may sit on the sidelines for a little while, then, if they look okay, they often go back (or are sent back) into the game. According to a recent study, this may not be a good idea.

In this study, 43 male and female high school athletes who had a mild head concussion were tested for attention, memory, reaction time, and information processing speed within a week of injury. Researchers were shocked to find a dramatic decrease in memory and an increase in symptoms 36 hours after injury. Quite significantly, those athletes who had on-the-field symptoms lasting longer than five minutes had a 500% drop in memory performance. ¹ Anyone who suffers a sports injury, no matter how “mild,” could well benefit from a chiropractic checkup to ensure that they aren’t carrying unresolved damage in their body.

1. Lovell, M.R., Collins, MW., Iverson, G.L,, Johnston, K.M., Bradley, J.P. Grade 1 or “ding” concussions in high school athletes. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2004;32:47-54.