188: Kyla Moves On, Concussions, Baku and American Cup Preview

Dr. Caroline Just (00:01:15) She studied psychology and neuroscience in university, and then went to medical school at McMaster University. She is currently in the middle of her training as a neurology resident physician in London, Ontario, Canada. She has an interest in preventative medicine and public health awareness. She talked to us about concussions in gymnastics:

• Euphemisms for concussions from “rocked,” “shaken up,” “bell rung,” “loopy” to “seeing stars.”
• Second Impact Syndrome
• Blain Wilson’s 2004 Olympic fall and all of the euphemisms that were used to describe his traumatic brain injury.
• Best Practices for for coaches, parents and teammates:
  • ANY head injury during practice or a meet should be investigated with a concussion checklist, because if you keep going without it, the second concussion could make things much worse.  Print out a checklist and put it on the wall of the gym or download the Heads Up App
  • Take Tylenol not aspirin, Ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin, Naproxen or Aleve.
  • Most concussions resolve within two weeks, but if you don’t go through the appropriate steps, waiting to be symptom-free for 24 hours before you advance stages, you risk not healing properly, which increases risk of long-term neurocognitive symptoms
  • Go see a doctor if you are worried! It’s pretty unlikely that the doctor will tell you to quit, or to take a long break.
  •  Doctors are required, in most states and provinces, to inform authorities if the welfare of a child is in danger, including by coaches. If you think a coach is negligent – don’t be silent. Get parents involved, get head coaches involved, get athletic directors involved. The right people will take this very seriously.
  • Gymnasts are tough. They are used to focusing on the goal and working through the pain. However, sometimes the toughest thing is to do what is right for your health, or your friend’s health. It’s better to miss the meet than miss the season, or miss out on your life.

In the news, Uncle Tim, Spencer, and Jessica chat about:

• Gymternet News (23:37):
  • Is it a surprise that Kyla Ross has retired from elite?
  • Bryestians finally hired some bar coaches!
  • Olympic Champion Alexi Nemov was in a street fight in Russia
  • Shawn Johnson is writing a young adult novel
  • International assignments from camp! 
  • Trinidad & Tobago gymnasts are being slut shamed by an anonymous complainer and their own federation. 
  • Is the Under Armour commercial amazing, exploitative or just a missed opportunity to showcase the diversity of US gymnasts. 
  • Rio Test Event news and the Zika virus, shouldn’t everyone be warned, not just pregnant women? 
• Meet News (1:04:43):
  • Baku World Cup: our thoughts on Flavia’s beam and new floor routine. 
  • Winter Cup: Why do they have this meet and do Kenzo and Kohei just watch the live stream and laugh? 
  • Storylines to watch at this weekends American Cup!
• NCAA Roundup (1:33:46)  with Spencer including Nicki Shaprio‘s “play it off” moment and Nikki Guerrero’s excellent save on beam 

USA Gymnastics University has concussion materials here as well as a list of concussion safety laws.

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• 187: McKayla Maroney
• 186: Amanda Borden
• 185: 2008 Olympic All-Around Finals (Commissioned)
• 148: Shannon Miller
• 63: Doctor Larry Nassar