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>> Emily Samuelson: I'm involved in ice dancing.
It's a type of a figure skating and I've been skating for 15 years but ice dancing
with my partner, Evan Bates [phonetic], for 10.
We actually competed in the Olympic Winter Games this past February.
>> Emily reached the height of her sport and was on her way
to the World Championships this spring when a concussion,
her third in just 16 months threatened to sideline her championship hopes.
>> Emily Samuelson: It was 4 days before we were leaving for the World Championships and we fell
out of a lift and slammed onto the ice.
I don't remember hitting the ice.
I blacked out.
I really was surprised how much my memory was affected, how much my body was affected.
I know there's a risk factor involved in skating but you never think that it'll happen to you
and so once it does, it's sort of like a shock, like a wakeup call.
>> A wakeup call millions of athletes in a wide variety of sports experience each year.
>> Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher: The CDC estimates that about 3 million concussions happen each year
in the United States from sports related activities.
Concussion occurs when a force is applied to the brain.
It doesn't have to be a direct hit to the head.
Any time that the skull that was moved around with enough force
so that the brain experiences an acceleration or deceleration
within the skull, that can cause a concussion.
The injury is a functional one but not a structural one.
>> Symptoms of a concussion can vary from mild to severe.
Classic symptoms include confusion, disorientation, headaches, sensitive to light,
and nausea but other types of behavioral changes can occur.
Most concussions will be self limiting and will resolve themselves if managed appropriately.
However multiple concussions can cause serious long-term effects.
>> Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher: Multiple concussions, we think,
are a risk factor for developing cognitive problems later in life.
That story is not completed told yet.
We need to do more research to figure out what it is about the hits that leads to this problem.
>> To offer the best in clinical care, research, and education,
the University of Michigan created Michigan Neurosport,
a first of its kind multidisciplinary program to bring all aspects
of neurological care to athletes.
>> Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher: Michigan Neurosport continues to be a leader
in moving the field forward so that it neurology can get more connected into sports medicine.
>> The best medicine, however, is always prevention.
Dr. Kutcher recommends considering these questions.
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>> Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher: How are you playing the game?
Are you putting yourself at risk by the way you tackle,
by not skating with your head, by a technique issue?
Another issue is equipment.
Are you wearing an appropriately fit helmet that is up to standards but it's also important
to know that helmets do not prevent concussions.
Another preventive tip is to make sure that you're not over fatiguing athletes,
that you're not putting them through too many times over one practice or one game situation.
There is a sense of dose as you get more and more hits that there's more
of a chance that a concussion will happen.
Most important, once concussed that person should be removed from participation
until they are completely symptom free, have been evaluated by a physician
with experience in treating concussion.
>> Emily Samuelson: Now I'm great.
I -- right after Worlds, I took off a lot of time.
I didn't skate.
I let my body fully recover.
It took maybe a month or so but now I'm doing fantastic.
I'd like to tell other athletes that even though it doesn't seem like it can happen to you,
concussions definitely can so you do need to be careful at every moment.
If you do sustain a concussion, definitely go to the best doctor
in the area then heed their advice because you don't want to damage yourself in the long run.
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