Is getting hit to the head over and over can be dangerous?

[moonhill99]

Some one was saying getting hit over and over to the head can cause injuries. Saying some fighters getting knocked out can cause brain injuries.

If so how safe is MMA, boxing, Muay Thai and kickboxing so on and other martial arts getting hit to the head over and over?

I know there been a number of Muay Thai and boxing fighters that have got a brain concussion. But what do these many brain concussions over and over effect the person in some way?

Does the brain heel over time on its own? Have some boxers have to quite boxing if its gotten really bad? How do you know it is bad?

Why do amateur fighters are more at risk than say professional fighters? Have there been any champions have had any problem and have to quite fighting?

 

[Dirty Dog]

Some one was saying getting hit over and over to the head can cause injuries. Saying some fighters getting knocked out can cause brain injuries.

More accurately, anybody who does NOT accept these statements as fact is an idiot and shouldn't be allowed out without a keeper.

If so how safe is MMA, boxing, Muay Thai and kickboxing so on and other martial arts getting hit to the head over and over?

Unquantifiable. There are simply too many variables. Bottom line: Full contact strikes to the head will cause some degree of damage. How much is dependent upon a few hundred (thousand?) variables.

I know there been a number of Muay Thai and boxing fighters that have got a brain concussion.

If they're doing it full contact, the number who have had concussions is as close to 100% as to make no difference.

But what do these many brain concussions over and over effect the person in some way?

Yes, they do. Sometimes the effect is tiny. Sometimes it's huge. Exactly what the effect is will depend on what areas of the brain are damaged and to what extent.

Does the brain heel over time on its own?

No.

Have some boxers have to quite boxing if its gotten really bad?

Yes.

How do you know it is bad?

If it impacts your day to day life in any way, it's bad. Probably in the "you should have stopped sooner" category.

Why do amateur fighters are more at risk than say professional fighters?

If this is true (and I am not at all sure it is) it may be because professional fighters are better. They're better trained, better able to block, better able to slip strikes, etc.

Have there been any champions have had any problem and have to quite fighting?

I couldn't begin to guess how many boxers have been refused a license because of their repetitive brain injuries.

 

[marques]

Damage also observed in Rugby players, as well as other non martial sports.

 

[Midnight-shadow]

As others have said, the damage caused by a blow to the head is dependant on many things including point of impact, force of impact, secondary damage, etc. Getting hit to the head can result in anything from a mild headache to memory loss to internal bleeding to instant death. Can the brain heal itself? To a certain extent it can, in that it can repair broken blood vessels and tissues given enough time just like it can with the rest of the body. However, one thing it can't do is bring back lost memories. Memories, simply put, are a series of electrical signals from individual neurons that the neurons learn over time. When you remember something, your neurons are sending electrical signals similar to those when you first had the experience. If those neurons get damaged or die, even if you replace them you cannot replace the memories that those neurons had learned before.

 

[Kickboxer101]

No getting hit in the head constantly is good for you..of course it's dangerous

 

[Flying Crane]

Once symptoms are apparent, it is too late and irreparable damage has already been done.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Why do amateur fighters are more at risk than say professional fighters?

This is case by case statement. This depends greatly on the rules that the fighters have to follow.

 

[DanT]

Some one was saying getting hit over and over to the head can cause injuries. Saying some fighters getting knocked out can cause brain injuries.

If so how safe is MMA, boxing, Muay Thai and kickboxing so on and other martial arts getting hit to the head over and over?

I know there been a number of Muay Thai and boxing fighters that have got a brain concussion. But what do these many brain concussions over and over effect the person in some way?

Does the brain heel over time on its own? Have some boxers have to quite boxing if its gotten really bad? How do you know it is bad?

Why do amateur fighters are more at risk than say professional fighters? Have there been any champions have had any problem and have to quite fighting?

Training for a martial art is pretty safe:

-you should not be getting hit in the head during training apart from in sparring and some drills

-when you do get hit in the head during training, the contact shouldn't be that heavy anyways

In terms of actually competing, yes there is a definite chance of getting concussed, and no, the brain does not heal itself over time. The long term effects of this damage can be minimal or extreme, depending on a number of factors. Basically:

-if you're not planning on competing you shouldn't worry about getting concussed

-if you're going to compete you will probably get concussed during the match.

 

[jks9199]

Damage also observed in Rugby players, as well as other non martial sports.

Like, say, football and the NFL...

 

[Balrog]

Muhammed Ali was a great example of what happens when you get hit in the head too many times. The condition is known as Dementia pugilistica.

 

[drop bear]

Muhammed Ali was a great example of what happens when you get hit in the head too many times. The condition is known as Dementia pugilistica.

Yes Michael J Fox is also a tragic example of what happens to fighters who get hit in the head too often.

 

[drop bear]

Damage also observed in Rugby players, as well as other non martial sports.

Not to mention the risks of drimking. smoking and eating too much pizza.

We are pretty hard on our bodies.

 

[Buka]

Getting hit in the head is never a good thing. Getting repeatedly hit in the head is much worse. Getting repeatedly hit in the head over a period of time - not good at all.

I've run into so many fighters I used to know but hadn't seen in years. Their speech is slurred, their body undependable, makes me so sad. And, yes, many things can cause that. But what I'm speaking about is too much head trauma over too long. Scares me.

 

[JR 137]

Damage typically develops in two ways...

Getting hit hard enough to cause immediate symptoms. These can range from "getting your bell rung" for a minute or two to death, and everything in between. These are pretty easy to spot if you know what you're looking for. Most medical professionals (and many others) have been fully trained to recognize these symptoms and be able to use common sense and stop the athlete from continuing.

Then there's small trauma that doesn't exhibit symptoms, yet occurs countless times over the years. Although impossible to prove scientifically due to ethics and other factors, this may very well be worse than a few outright concussions.

Just like there's no way to scientifically prove living a healthy lifestyle by eating right, exercising, and not using drugs will make you live longer (you'd have to know exactly when that person would die and what would cause it to tell if they truly added time), there's too many life factors to determine that head trauma (and head trauma alone) caused people to experience cognitive/neurological issues. But common sense tells us people who get hit in the head like fighters, athletes, etc. have significantly more problems per capita than people who don't.

 

[Midnight-shadow]

Damage typically develops in two ways...

Getting hit hard enough to cause immediate symptoms. These can range from "getting your bell rung" for a minute or two to death, and everything in between. These are pretty easy to spot if you know what you're looking for. Most medical professionals (and many others) have been fully trained to recognize these symptoms and be able to use common sense and stop the athlete from continuing.

Then there's small trauma that doesn't exhibit symptoms, yet occurs countless times over the years. Although impossible to prove scientifically due to ethics and other factors, this may very well be worse than a few outright concussions.

Just like there's no way to scientifically prove living a healthy lifestyle by eating right, exercising, and not using drugs will make you live longer (you'd have to know exactly when that person would die and what would cause it to tell if they truly added time), there's too many life factors to determine that head trauma (and head trauma alone) caused people to experience cognitive/neurological issues. But common sense tells us people who get hit in the head like fighters, athletes, etc. have significantly more problems per capita than people who don't.

I remember one time where I had to deal with a guy who had gotten a tennis ball to his temple during a match. Just after it happened he seemed ok, if a little shaken. He could talk and remember things quite clearly. Then over the space of half an hour he slowly deteriorated and was getting more and more confused about what happened to the point where he forgot where he was or what he was doing when he hit his head. It was like dementia at 50 times the speed. It was pretty scary to witness I'll tell you that.

 

[JR 137]

I remember one time where I had to deal with a guy who had gotten a tennis ball to his temple during a match. Just after it happened he seemed ok, if a little shaken. He could talk and remember things quite clearly. Then over the space of half an hour he slowly deteriorated and was getting more and more confused about what happened to the point where he forgot where he was or what he was doing when he hit his head. It was like dementia at 50 times the speed. It was pretty scary to witness I'll tell you that.

When I was working in sports med, I had a basketball player get elbowed in the head. Pretty lightly too. He didn't indicate he needed any help, there was no reason for the referees to send him out to he checked. When he came out a few minutes later (routine substitution), I checked him. No problems at all. This was a few minutes before halftime. Halftime was uneventful for him. Played the rest of the game without problems.

When the coach was talking to the team after the game, he all of a sudden started crying uncontrollably. (22 year old guy crying like this out of nowhere gets people's attention). He said Aunt Mable is dying and he needs to get to the hospital, and was asking people for a ride. Then he grew pretty hostile and we think it was because he thought no one wanted to give him a ride, but he was very hard to follow. I was trying to asses him further, but that was impossible. I called an ambulance and told him it was his ride to see aunt mable.

He remembered everything up until coach starting his speech. Watching film, the coach said he got grazed by an elbow, and didn't get hit in the head at any other point in the game. To everyone, including himself, he was completely fine until the crying episode.

And for the record, he doesn't have an Aunt Mable. Nor does he know anyone named anything close to Mable.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Getting hit in the head is never a good thing. Getting repeatedly hit in the head is much worse. Getting repeatedly hit in the head over a period of time - not good at all.

I've run into so many fighters I used to know but hadn't seen in years. Their speech is slurred, their body undependable, makes me so sad. And, yes, many things can cause that. But what I'm speaking about is too much head trauma over too long. Scares me.

Scares me as well Buka!

 

[Balrog]

Yes Michael J Fox is also a tragic example of what happens to fighters who get hit in the head too often.

Fox has Parkinson's Disease. Totally different.

 

[moonhill99]

As others have said, the damage caused by a blow to the head is dependant on many things including point of impact, force of impact, secondary damage, etc. Getting hit to the head can result in anything from a mild headache to memory loss to internal bleeding to instant death. Can the brain heal itself? To a certain extent it can, in that it can repair broken blood vessels and tissues given enough time just like it can with the rest of the body. However, one thing it can't do is bring back lost memories. Memories, simply put, are a series of electrical signals from individual neurons that the neurons learn over time. When you remember something, your neurons are sending electrical signals similar to those when you first had the experience. If those neurons get damaged or die, even if you replace them you cannot replace the memories that those neurons had learned before.

Those fighters with problems is it mostly short term or long term memory that is problem?

Have hard time learning things and remembering things? Slow reaction time and talk slow?

Slow at learning things and hard time remembering things and ever to go over it over and over?

 

[wingchun100]

Concussions are bad, m'kay?