Book Nook: A Matter of Recovery

High school students who choose to participate in sports place themselves at risk for a sports-related injury. An important area for concern is injury that may result from a rotational or linear force applied to the head and brain from a direct impact or indirect force. These forces may result in a minimal injury to the brain or may cause permanent disability or death. 

While head injuries in sports cannot be prevented entirely, experts believe that there are seven ways to reduce the risk of brain injury from playing contact and collision sports:

1.    Better training and coaching 
2.    Better enforcement of existing rules and rule changes 
3.    Reducing repetitive head impacts in tackle football through limits on full-contact practices 
4.    New and improved equipment 
5.    Neck strengthening 
6.    Head impact exposure monitoring 
7.    Delaying start of contact and collision sports 

In his book, “A Matter of Recovery,” Wes Skillings tells the story of C.B. Miller, a young man who took a 3-story fall resulting in the loss of half his brain. Despite his TBI, Miller has successfully earned his bachelor’s degree and lives independently. Miller and Skillings hope by sharing these stories they can help raise awareness on TBI.

I had a chance to review the book, and it was quite interesting to see the journey from the injury to recovery. I've had friends that have struggled with TBI, which can happen in the same situations that can cause concussions. This book was very similar to their experiences, and is a good read for anyone who knows someone with TBI, or anyone who is concerned with the impacts of concussions (especially repeated concussions) on brain health.