Doctor gets into riders' headsFreeman investigates effects of concussions |
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It’s also arguably the most dangerous sport. Its athletes can be seriously injured or killed.
While there is no conceivable way in which professional bull riders can be fully protected from the dangers of riding on the back of a 2,000-pound bovine, all bull riders are required to wear a protective vest, and between 30 to 40 percent of all riders now wear a helmet.
In addition to those precautions, the PBR medical staff, led by Dr. Tandy Freeman, has been studying the effects of head injuries – most notably concussions – for the past season.
Dr. Freeman and his staff used this past Monday to conduct a series of tests with all 45 of the top riders in the world.
“Part of what we were doing was using a system of cognitive function testing,” Freeman explained, “which has been proven to be an objective measurement of recovery from concussion.
“It’s not the only piece of the puzzle, but it’s something that gives us a tool to explain to these guys how it is they’re not doing as well as they may think they are, or to confirm they are well.
“Basically they sit down at a computer, they take a test that is a psychological test – it’s not one of these things where it’s trying to figure out what your personality is – it’s basically a test where it’s looking at memory and ability to think and work through problems.”
Those are measurements of brain functions that can be affected when people have concussions. Concussions represent about 15 percent of the injuries bull riders are treated for during the course of a season.
The testing administered by Dr. Freeman was done in order to establish a baseline, which can then be compared to results of the test when the rider is concussed in the future. The objective with the continued testing is that the subject will not do as well on the test until their brain has had time to recover from the injury.
A second test involved a neurologist who performed neurologic physical exams in order to establish yet another comparative baseline.
While the topic of concussions has become more of an issue in other sports, one of the tougher issues, especially in terms of bull riders, is the desire to return to competition before the athlete has had a chance to fully recover.
According to Freeman, recommendations are based upon ongoing symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, fatigue and others; that, if present, indicate that the athlete has not fully recovered from the concussion.
Returning early can make a rider more susceptible to another concussion as well as long term symptoms.
“For these guys, the tests are going to help them if they get injured,” Dr. Freeman said, “and…if they get injured in the next couple of days, then we can retest them.
“If a guy gets knocked out tonight, Thursday, and he wants to get on a bull Friday, we can retest him on Friday, and if he sees that he’s half, has a 50-percent decrease in his function, he may think twice about getting on a bull.
“I think it’s a little less likely that it’s going to have that impact right away,” he continued, “but it at least gives us something to work with so that the guys can see that.”
There have been a number of riders that have been concussed at some point during the first three rounds of the 2008 PBR World Finals, and while they went through the testing process, they will again be tested in New York City prior to the event being held in early January at Madison Square Garden.
To hear the complete interview with Dr. Freeman, please log onto www.pbr.tv, select podcast and click the link labeled “Interview with Dr. Tandy Freeman.”
—by Keith Ryan Cartwright
