[Ansteorra] Very interesting story on concussions

[Sir Lyonel]

Salut cozyns,

I've run full tilt into spear tips a few times. I have a particular  
loathing for brown duct-taped spearheads. Being stopped by a grounded  
pike always hurts. It usually does more damage to my neck than my  
head, but I usually end up seeing those little flashes and streaks of  
light colloquially referred to as "stars," so I know the injury IS  
concussive.o

The worst head shot I ever took, however, was not from a grounded  
pike. Nor was it a poleaxe or mass weapon. It was a simple broadsword  
in the right hand of Duke Michael of Bedford. I was a junior squire at  
the time, and His Grace was in teaching mode at Estrella War, favoring  
the squires of Dukes Brion and Trelon with His instructive attention.  
Following a shoulder-feint, His Grace flat-snapped me just below my  
left ear. Though I couldn't block the shot, I saw it coming, knew  
where it would hit, braced for impact, and still had a hard time  
retaining consciousness. The resulting headache lasted two weeks. My  
helm at the time was a slightly over-sized 12-ga, Norman conical helm  
with lots of sturdy motorcycle padding.

The only shot I've ever taken that came close to being that damaging  
was from Sir Christopher Reuben Montoya of Atenveldt, a lovely young  
man with 25" biceps and a 50" chest. His shot blew through my sword  
and one corner of my shield (yes, I had one once). If not for the  
layers of defense, he'd have cold-cocked me. No question about it.

So, yes, Liam, I do believe the danger of TBI is one not entirely  
mitigated by our defenses.

En Lyonel

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 27, 2011, at 12:39 PM, Jean Paul de Sens <jeanpauldesens at gmail.com 
 > wrote:

> I don't know Liam... there's several times I've been hit in the head  
> hard
> enough that I got an instant headache.  Conventional wisdom is that  
> those
> are mini-concussions.  And I do remember times following those kinds  
> of hits
> where I was not mentally at 100%.  I worry about the mass of my  
> helmet being
> insufficient (mine is only about 7 lbs), and have thought about  
> going to a
> heavier helmet just to protect my noggin better.
>
> Granted, I agree we don't need any rule changes, but as experienced
> fighters, we need to watch out for all of our friends, old and new,  
> when
> they get a new helm, and make sure it has sufficient mass to keep  
> them from
> harm.
>
> JP
>
> Qui mieux fait, mieux vault.
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 27, 2011 at 7:18 AM, Liam Gordon <cenliamgordon2005 at gmail.com 
> >wrote:
>
>> I agree that head injuries are serious business.  TBI (Traumatic  
>> Brain
>> Injury) is not fun to deal with, whether you have it or you have a  
>> loved
>> one
>> or a friend with it.  Those in the military have more than likely  
>> been
>> exposed.
>>
>> Personally, I do not believe that what we do in this game will  
>> cause TBI to
>> our heavy fighters.  Yes, we get hit in the head, a lot.  Yes  
>> sometimes
>> those shots are pretty hard, but between the mass of the helm, the  
>> padding
>> and the fact that we're not running then, bam, we all of sudden  
>> stop like
>> we
>> just got tackled vie a vie a linebacker...
>>
>> Well, ok, there is a Fiacha out there but he's a teddy bear, unless  
>> you're
>> a
>> skinny bean pole like Ioannes Dalassenos... Just ask Ioannes the  
>> next time
>> you see him, he'll tell ya the story... Hehehe)
>>
>> Do our armor rules need to change? No.  We just have to be more  
>> cognizant
>> of
>> our selves and our bodies.  And if we feel that our own armour  
>> isn't good
>> enough, then change it.  Make sure that you feel safe in your own  
>> armor...
>> That's the key.
>>
>> Liam
>>
>> On Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 10:17 PM, <deddy2 at austin.rr.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I heard this on NPR the other day. Interesting and scary.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> http://www.npr.org/2011/01/20/133053436/brain-injuries-haunt-football-players-years-later
>>>
>>> I know I'll look more closely at my helmet padding.
>>>
>>> Grace and Peace,
>>>
>>> Jovian
>>>
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>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam  
>> possit
>> materiari?
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