Boxers And Brain Injuries

Boxer Muhammad Ali and his equally handsome grandson in a Louis Vuitton ad

The very nature of boxing often entails fighters trading punches and usually to the head. However, as with other contact sports such as American football, athletes have learned head injuries can have a long lasting impact on their health and life. The medical term Encephalopathy was coined to cover a spectrum of conditions that can be classified as brain disease.

A wave of American football players began suffering brain disorders that resembled Alzheimer's and Parkinsons due to constant blows to the head resulting in concussions. The symptoms include memory loss, tremors, diminished cognitive ability, confusion, difficulty concentration, seizures, mood swings, depression, dementia and suicidality.

Muhamad Ali and another beloved star, actor Michael J. Fox, both have Parkinsons. My theory is the constant blows to the head Ali sustained in his storied boxing career and an injury Fox sustained on the set of the "Back To The Future" film, where his head was caught in a prop, initiated Parkinsons in them (head injuries/brain injuries).  

While the focus of the mental condition has largely been on American football players, boxers are also in danger of developing encephalopathy and need to be monitored and if necessary treated for the medical condition. A number of boxers have reported symptoms that carry some of the traits of encephalopathy. 

While some boxers pride themselves on being able to take punishment in the ring, the style of hit and don't get hit is the better, healthier option. A shorter number of rounds, as opposed to 12, is also better (in the United Kingdom the standard fight has 8 rounds). On the whole, modern referees have become far more cautious and willing to stop fights when they are of the belief a fighter is in mortal danger or a serious health problem is about to occur. Some boxers do not like their fights being stopped over injuries they personally do not deem significant, but referees are erring on the side of caution.

For years boxer Frank Bruno had struggled with depression and related issues, after sustaining blows to the head during the course of his career. He became suicidal 13-years ago and was admitted to a hospital for mental health treatment. He retired from boxing at age 34. Bruno is now 54 and seeks to make a boxing comeback, which is inadvisable, as it could exacerbate his depression and any underlying medical conditions related to the brain. I have wondered if Bruno is struggling with the beginning stages of brain disease due to some of his symptoms. However, I hope not. Nonetheless, he must continue to stick to an appropriate and effective treatment plan for his depression.

As stated in the January 22, 2014 article How To Reap The Benefits Of Boxing While Avoiding The Pitfalls: "The brain is delicate. It is a part of the human body that does not easily withstand injury. I am of the belief head injuries sustained in combat, accidents and sports, as well as brain hemorrhages (aneurysm or stroke) greatly increases the risk of developing Parkinsons or Alzheimer’s. People with the aforementioned injuries are more prone to depression and regrettably suicide. It’s crucial that one recognizes the signs of depression early and seek medical treatment and therapy to ward off its effects. 

Brain injury leads the body to release distress chemicals that triggers feelings of sadness, confusion, doubt and depression. Basically, it’s a distress signal. Your body telling you there’s a problem. Athletes in contact sports are more prone to depression. Head injuries some boxers sustain contribute to depression. This sometimes leads to drug use, such as cocaine, in failed attempts at feeling better. So, protect your head as best you can."

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How To Reap The Benefits Of Boxing While Avoiding The Pitfalls

Sports Articles

Athletes Who Face Depression After Sports And How To Conquer It (Ricky Hatton, Mike Tyson, Frank Bruno, Clarke Carlisle)

Ricky Hatton

Famous British boxer, Ricky Hatton, spoke out about the depression that gripped him and led to suicide bids after his career as a pugilist. Hatton, who suffered losses in the ring to Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, took it to heart and became depressed. Hatton began using cocaine and tried to commit suicide.

British boxer, Frank Bruno also began using cocaine and tried to kill himself after his accomplished career suffered a few defeats and began to wind down. American boxing champ, Mike Tyson, also turned to cocaine and alcohol after problems in his personal life and career arose. Tyson was also suicidal. When drugs ravaged his body, it led to defeats in the ring.

Clarke Carlisle and wife Gemma after he tried to commit suicide

British football player, Clarke Carlisle threw himself in front of a lorry (truck) whilst struggling with depression, regarding what to do with his life, as his career as an athlete had come to a close. Carlisle was suffering from clinical depression, but like many, didn't recognize the signs.

On January 22, 2014 the Judiciary Report wrote about the negative effects of repeated blows to the head in boxing and what it can do to the brain (How To Reap The Benefits Of Boxing While Avoiding The Pitfalls). Blows to the head that are strong enough in impact can create depression, dementia, confusion and induce thoughts of suicide. Boxers and other athletes in contact sports that take blows to the head, including international footballers who do headers, must be monitored for the signs of depression. Long term medical treatment is needed.

There is an alarming trend of injured and retired boxers turning to cocaine to combat the depression and dementia they suffer from, when there are viable, healthy medical options that can effective treat the symptoms they are suffering from (The Negative Effects Of Drinking, Smoking And Drugs On Athletes). Cocaine is not the answer to your pain. Don't take your life. Privately seek medical treatment and the help of a good therapist. Medicine and talking things out with a professional can put things into proper perspective. Things are not as bad as they seem. You can recover.

Transitioning Into Second Phase Of Sporting Career

After one's career as an athlete is done, there are many things one can do. There is the option of starting a sports company, working for a sports team, becoming a trainer, television and or internet commentator. One can also look forward to raising and training one's children, fostering their interests in sports. Who knows. Your kids could become tomorrow's champions.

Take things in stride. When one aspect of your career concludes, another successful one can begin. Nothing is so bad that you need to take your life. Value your sobriety and fight for it. Remember, sports is not your life. You are your life. Build it in such a way that you can continue to use your talents for years to come and have those you love share it with you.

STORY SOURCE

Ricky Hatton: Pain of defeats to Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather led to my suicide bids

3:03PM GMT 17 Feb 2015 - In June, it will be a decade since the finest moment of Ricky Hatton’s career, the victory over Kostya Tszyu. Already hugely popular in this country, beating Tszyu made him a global star and led to a series of fights with the sport’s biggest names. Those fights, which culminated in defeats to Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, made Hatton more than £25 million, but they almost cost him his life.

Until he was knocked out by Mayweather and Pacquiao, Hatton had never lost. The shame and guilt he felt at losing his unbeaten record, and the anxiety that his career was on a downward trajectory, led to a deep depression. It didn’t make any difference to Hatton that the two men he had lost to are among the greatest boxers of the modern era, a pair who will, in the coming days, confirm a meeting in the richest bout in the sport’s history.

Within four years of that glorious triumph over Tszyu, Hatton was at his lowest point: there were alcoholic binges, a tabloid cocaine expose, and, as had happened between fights during his career, his weight ballooned.

Hatton tried several times to kill himself. Finally, what saved him was boxing. His comeback in 2012 may have ended in a third defeat - to Vyacheslav Senchenko - but the discipline of preparing to return to the ring began a process of recovery which has continued in retirement.

Today, approaching his 37th birthday, Hatton has finally found some peace. He said: “I don’t have those dark thoughts any more, no. I am feeling older and, as you get older, you can look back at everything you’ve done in your life with a bit more pride. Depression is a serious thing and, after my defeat to Pacquiao, I was facing retirement and didn’t cope with it very well.”...

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Clarke Clarlisle's wife: 'Nothing could prepare me for what I saw'

Clarke Clarlisle's wife has been speaking about the moment she first saw her husband in hospital after he tried to kill himself. The former Burnley captain stepped out in front of a lorry last December claiming he'd decided he 'wanted to die'. The 35 year old former England star told The Sun yesterday he thought he was better off dead after losing his TV pundit job, gambling away his money and battling depression. He said the final straw came on December 20th when he was charged with drink driving.

Miraculously, Clarke survived after stepping out in front of the 7 tonne truck in York just days before Christmas. His wife Gemma said doctors warned her to brace herself when she saw him for the first time.
"He had a big shard of glass sticking out of his eye. The smell was horrific. He was barely conscious. I don't think he wanted to be there. He didn't want to look at me or talk to me." Gemma also told the newspaper how life had been tough with the Clarke before his suicide attempt and she was contemplating a split after failing to get through to him.

"I was scared of him coming home. He was worse than that person I'd been living with. He was just not even there, he was a shell...it made me realise that if this is how it was going to be then I needed to be on my own." But there was a turning point according to Gemma, Clarke eventually said: 'I want to be here, I want to get well.' Clarke is now on the road to physical recovery suffering internal bleeding, cuts and bruises and a broken rib after the crash...

 

http://www.itv.com