MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Broward Health Medical Center’s chief of neurosurgery weighed in Friday on the rising issues over Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s long-term health after he sustained a concussion — his third whereas taking part in within the NFL.
Christopher Roberts, each a fan and a doctor, recounted watching Tagovailoa undergo certainly one of his accidents in Thursday night time’s Dolphins-Bills recreation.
As a fan, he thought, “not again,” however as a neurosurgeon, Roberts shortly seen tell-tale indicators of trauma, together with a posture generally known as the “fencing response,” usually seen in concussions.
“Anytime you strike your head like that and you have that maneuver with the hands … it’s just concerning, You know right away something is wrong,” stated Roberts. “A clenching of the arms sometimes it can be a flexing of the arms and its just when the brain has lost control of the body.”
Watch the 5 p.m. report on what medical doctors, coaches and Tagovailoa’s teammates are saying about his newest concussion:
Tagovailoa missed a number of video games in 2022 on account of concussions, along with struggling a daunting again damage.
His damage history extends to his school years, the place he sustained a concussion in 2020. The repeated head accidents have sparked widespread concern for his future health.
“There are legitimate long-term worries here,” Roberts stated.
A Boston University research highlighted the potential hazard for NFL gamers, discovering that 92% of practically 400 studied had developed Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative mind illness attributable to repeated head trauma. Symptoms embody reminiscence loss and character modifications, which may emerge years later.
Despite developments in concussion protocols and security measures, similar to Tagovailoa’s use of a brand new helmet and martial arts coaching, Roberts shared that there isn’t a foolproof approach to stop and even detect all concussions.
“I mean if you have a bad enough concussion it can severely affect your function in life,” he stated. “We saw with Mohammad Ali after his long career at the end of his career he started developing Parkinsonian type of movements and things like that so you certainly get concerned with further brain damage down the road.”
An emotional McDaniel informed Tua that he’s “the starting quarterback of this Miami Dolphins family and to go take a breath and I’ll see you soon.”
“You never like to see him go down, especially someone like Tua,” stated Dolphins defensive deal with Calais Campbell. “Anytime you get off the field and get up, it’s a good sign.”
“All of our prayers are out to him and his family,” stated Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold. “We’re all tight-knit family right now so you’re just hoping that he’s safe.”
He additionally cautioned that as gamers age, mind perform naturally declines, making the impacts of concussions extra obvious.
As Tagovailoa continues his profession, the questions surrounding his health and security stay on the forefront for each followers and medical specialists.
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