September 13, 2024
Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) — A local doctor and a local football coach weighed in Friday on injury prevention after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion Thursday night while playing against the Buffalo Bills.
Tagovailoa’s third concussion in the last two years was a moment many viewers won’t forget — a jarring impact on the field.
Local neurosurgeon Dr. Anthony Petraglia was watching.
“At first, I thought it was a spinal cord injury,” said Petraglia. “The way his neck twisted and hit, and then he did go a little limp. When I saw him go down and then he started posturing, as we see with the boxers, you kind of get a sense that there was more than a spinal cord injury, probably a concussive injury. That posturing, the fencer’s posture, is what we see with boxers.It’s a chemical release in the brain stem and it sets off seizure-like activity.”
Petraglia said for athletes, the risks involved in contact sports like football are not quite what they used to be.
“I think the hard thing for all of us fans and spectators is to get in the mindset of these elite athletes,” he said. “They think about their craft differently. It’s one of those things where we want him to heal and get better through this, but we have to trust that the medical professionals and the people who are close to him are evaluating him and going through the procedures to see that he’s safe. Then it becomes a discussion where his interests are.He has to be fully healed before he comes back and rushing.”
“For the longest time, people have been developing helmets that will lessen some of the impacts,” Petraglia continued. “I mean, helmets were designed classically and historically to protect against skull fractures at a time when they didn’t have much besides leather helmets and people were getting skull fractures. A lot of research is being done to make all this equipment so much safer, but without a doubt having equipment will go a long way to making sure these athletes are safe.”
Geoff Mandile has been coaching football at Victor High School for 14 years. He agrees the hit was scary to watch but said prevention and risk management are happening on the field here.
“The way we tackle now has changed a lot over the years,” said Mandile. “We try to take the head right out of it, get the best equipment, and teach not to lead with the head. We are overly cautious with it like everyone should be. If there are any issues – we let the trainers and the doctors take care of that.”
Petraglia said part of the necessary precautions is student athletes talking to their coaches and parents if they think something is wrong.
“For parents at the younger levels, it’s being smart about how they feel and if there is any question that they aren’t feeling right after a head impact,” he said. “They are removing themselves and let the coaches know so they can get appropriate treatment and care.”