Abstract

Concussions are everywhere, or so it would seem from the meteoric rise in attention they have received in our society. I am not a gray-haired wizard with decades of experience and tales of ‘‘how things used to be,’’ but even in my short career, I feel as though I have witnessed a tectonic shift in this area of sports medicine. Concussions, by their nature, are difficult to diagnose and manage. The symptoms are sometimes murky at best, and at worst, silent and delayed. They can cause debilitating long-term sequelae, highlighted by recent cases of aging athletes reduced to neurological mush by the cumulative effect of long-ago concussions. Concussions can be associated with significant short-term problems such as second-impact syndrome and, rarely, even death. Historically, knowledge and awareness of concussions were minimal with terms such as ‘‘head bonk’’ or ‘‘getting your bell rung’’ dominating the colloquial landscape. Thanks to significant advances in concussion research during the last decade and several high-profile concussion cases arising from the National Football League, professional snowboarding, college football, and other popular sports, the status quo has changed.