{"id":257,"date":"2013-03-11T10:14:21","date_gmt":"2013-03-11T10:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blackbeltwhitehat.com\/?page_id=257"},"modified":"2019-08-24T18:13:15","modified_gmt":"2019-08-24T18:13:15","slug":"nzt-48","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blackbeltwhitehat.com\/en\/mma-articles\/other\/nzt-48\/","title":{"rendered":"Concussion & Head Injuries in MMA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Concussion in MMA<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I’ve managed to have concussion 5 times, twice from footy\/soccer and 3 times from MMA.
\nNow, this isn’t particularly bad, and was never a concern until I read a few articles and studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concussion is a big deal in America at the moment, with several ex NFL players suffering mental illness due to long term effects of multiple concussions. A handful have even killed themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can take up to 6 months to recover, sometimes longer<\/strong>
\nWhen most spectators see a fighter get KO’d; they assume that the fella\/women who’s just been beaten, will be fine in an hour or so, maybe a day or two tops. They don’t think that guys like Colin McCarthy<\/a> will be out of NFL action for 6 months after a concussion; but this is how long symptoms can last. This is one reason why NFL players may soon have to wear knee pads (to stop knee-to-head collisions causing concussions) and there will be neurologists on the sidelines of games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concussion is a big deal in America right now<\/strong>
\nJust to emphasise how dangerous multiple concussions can be – NFL players are suing the league over their handling of concussions during games and careers:
\nIn April 2011, Ray Easterling, Jim McMahon and 5 other players filed a lawsuit against the league over its handling of concussions, and one year later, Easterling was found dead in his home by a gunshot wound. Two months prior, Bears safety Dave Duerson committed suicide, and his autopsy reviewed that he had suffered from brain damage. Ref<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following an autopsy – on Chris Benoit, the wrestler that killed his family and then himself, it was also found that he was suffering from brain damage, almost certainly caused by repeated concussions. It would have been easy to dismiss his terrible actions as ‘roid rage’ but, following his father’s approval of an autopsy, it was discovered that his brain was severely damaged. You can read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chris<\/a>
Chris Benoit suffered from brain damage due to multiple concussions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In addition old school MMA fighter Gary Goodridge is also suffering from dementia. It will be interesting to see if more MMA and k-1 fighters eventually suffer the same condition, come the end of her career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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