By Sherri Brunner

Crack

You hear this just moments before you’re lying on the ground facing the sky. You’re disoriented, and then all of a sudden a wave of pain radiates through your skull as you wince. Seconds later you realize you’ve just hit your head, but are you aware of the serious damage you may have caused?

Most people do not realize how delicate the human brain is. They also do not realize that bones and cerebrospinal fluid, otherwise known as CSF, protect the human brain. While bones and fluid provide the human brain with some protection, it is still very important to protect your head when you are in danger of hitting it at high levels of speed.  

A recent study about the brain just made its way into Hollywood: “Concussion” is a film starring Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu. “Concussion” tells the story of Omalu discovering a deadly brain condition called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE. He discovered this after performing an autopsy on Steelers’ player Michael Webster. The film continues to show the battle that Dr. Bennet Omalu had to fight in order to prove to the National Football League that CTE is a real concern for football players, and not just at the professional level. CTE becomes a concern the moment a person hits their head, even including children who play little league football.

Former linebacker Adrian Robinson Jr. was diagnosed with CTE after committing suicide at the age of 25. Robinson suffered both on an amateur and professional level, having had several concussions while playing football over the years. Adrian’s brain is being donated to Boston University for research, to help in the fight to better understanding this debilitating disease.

With Dr. Bennet Omalu’s discovery of CTE, people are more of aware of how delicate the human brain is, and how important it is to keep it safe and to protect it. People should not throw caution to the wind when riding bikes, playing sports, or doing any kind of activity that may lead to head/brain injuries of any kind. To learn more about the disease visit Boston University’s CTE Center at http://www.bu.edu/cte/