Protecting The Brain Against Concussion
Neuropsychologist Kim Gorgens makes the case for better protecting our brains against the risk of concussion — with a compelling (if not humorous) pitch for putting helmets on kids.
Mind Your ‘Matter’
Concussion and Your Grey Matter
Grey Matter is, of course, referring to the tissue of your brain—the tissue in question when we talk about brain injury from concussion; which, in her humorous way, she called “Extremely resilient in children to AN injury.”
In fact, the risk of permanent brain damage increases EXPONENTIALLY with the number of blows to the head a child receives. The only way to prevent a bad outcome in a head injury (concussion) is to prevent that 1st injury from happening.
She also told you that children are MUCH MORE SUSEPTIBLE to brain injury and even older adolescents. THREE TIMES more likely to have their concussion turn into a “catastrophic” injury than their college age counterparts—AND take almost three times as long to restore to baseline.
As a neuropsychologist working in the field of brain injuries, Kim Gorgens has seen firsthand the damage sports-related impacts can do. And as chair of the State of Colorado Traumatic Brain Injury Trust Fund Board and a member of the Brain Injury Legislative Collaborative, she’s working to shape Colorado law around youth sports injuries.
Gorgens, an assistant clinical professor in the University of Denver Graduate School of Professional Psychology, also is the president-elect of the Colorado Neuropsychological Society and has an appointment to the American Psychological Association’s Council on Disability in Psychology.