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Miami Dolphin's QB Tua Tagovailoa's third diagnosed concussion in his NFL career is raising questions about his future in football.
Sports medicine experts say that Tua assumed the "fencing position" with arms unnaturally flexed in the air after last night's head injury.
"When a person experiences an impact that’s strong enough to cause traumatic brain injury (TBI), such as a concussion, their forearms extend or flex, usually in the air."
Concussive symptoms from sports-related traumatic brain injury typically resolve in 7 to 10 days and within 3 months for non-athletes, according to the Chief of Primary Sports Medicine for NYU Langone.
But not everyone is that fortunate and as up to 30% of post-concussion patients have lingering symptoms that don’t go away with time and rest.
According to one sports neurologist, "You will always be more susceptible to another concussion than someone who hasn’t had one, particularly during the first year after your concussion. It takes less force to sustain a repeat concussion within a year of the previous concussion and it’s likely to take more time to resolve."
Patients who suffer TBI may experience sleep disruptions, light sensitivity, heart rate issues, gastrointestinal issues, shivering, headaches, low libido, and depression.
Doctors say unfortunately a helmet protects the skull from fracture, but it does not protect the brain from concussive injury.