Despite Tua Tagovailoa’s wish not to become the “poster boy for Concussions,” he has been made to be the talk of the NFL regarding them. He has suffered three concussions in 5 seasons, and after Tua’s 3rd concussion, there was a lot of speculation in the media if he would. However, after seeking medical attention to guide his recovery, no Doctor recommended retiring from the NFL.
The question many have asked is, “Can you recover from that many concussions, and is it safe to return to pay?”
I thought it would be cool to share some knowledge about concussion recovery and what we, as athletic trainers (the people that rehab pro athletes and special forces operators), would do to help Tua get back to 100%.
Concussion recovery can be different for everybody. Sometimes, symptoms will only last for a few days; other times, you can deal with symptoms for months. The more concussions you have, the more sensitive you become to the subsequent concussion, and recovery will likely be longer. Ultimately, each case is unique, and treating it that way is the most important thing.
Whether it is your first concussion or 10th concussion (consider wearing a helmet throughout the day if this is your case), rehab is necessary for a speedy recovery. Concussion rehab will look different from soft tissue injury rehab exercises, but physical and mental activity is important. While rehabbing from a concussion, monitoring symptoms is the most important part of recovery.
Below is a list of common concussion symptoms that are seen in athletes:
Headache, “Pressure in head,” Neck Pain, Nausea or vomiting, Dizziness, Blurred vision, Balance problems, Sensitivity to light, Sensitivity to noise, Feeling slowed down, Feeling like “in a fog”, “Don’t feel right”, Difficulty Concentrating, Difficulty Remembering, Fatigue or Low energy, Confusion, Drowsiness, More Emotional, Irritability, Sadness, Nervous or Anxious, Trouble falling asleep.
After 24-48 hours of resting, post-concussion, mental and physical exercises can begin while monitoring symptoms. 1st phase of rehab will involve simple tasks like sorting cards or riding a bike easy; as healing progresses, athletes will start using tools like a Brock String to help rehab the eyes, doing progressive balance exercises like Rhombergs and eventually single leg stance work (poor balance is a massive indicator of brain trauma). Other mental activities like word searches, Soduku, Reading a book, and memory (to name a few) also start helping in the second stage of rehab. As the athlete returns to play, they will start doing more things that look like strength and conditioning.
The craziest thing about concussions is that different symptoms correlate to various areas of the brain. The systems involved include: Ocular, Vestibular, Cognitive, Headaches-Migraines, Cognitive, Anxiety-Mood, and Fatigue. Sometimes, one or two of the symptoms (bad vision, rapid mood changes, etc) will show early, and they are treated and rehabbed, but weeks later, another symptom will pop up. The real key to success is understanding the symptoms and how they correlate with each system so you can adequately rehab each one.
The other key is time. As I mentioned above, every concussion is different, so taking it slow and going through the process is key.
Tua got the best available care, so I believe that his brain was healed after his last concussion. Hopefully, he never takes another headshot, and we don’t have to see how effective the Dolphin’s training staff are at rehabbing a concussion.
