How do you solve a problem like concussions in sports? Fears over the short- and long-term health effects of head impacts in collision sports have already led to rule changes, lawsuits, and decreased youth participation in football and hockey. Last month, a scientific study turned the spotlight onto baseball, concluding that major league players returning to action after having suffered a concussion performed statistically worse at the plate. But can science or technology also find a way to fix this?
According to that baseball research, which was published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine, several batting metrics dropped significantly following a concussion-enforced break, including batting average (.249 to .227), on-base percentage (.315 to .287), and slugging percentage (.393 to .347). Those results made national news and were picked up by The New York Times, Reuters and Fox News. But reading between the numbers raises perhaps the biggest issue with concussions: We don’t know enough.
“I think it was a well-intentioned study,” says Uzma Samadani, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at NYU’s Langone Medical Center, and co-director of NYU’s Steven and Alexandra Cohen Veterans Center, “[but] I’m not convinced that the conclusions are sound. I think they’re overstated.”