General Question

flo's avatar

Is it obvious (if you looked looked at it in passing) that you can get a concussion from MMA? See detail.

Asked by flo (13313points) August 27th, 2019

I thought it was football and boxing that could lead to brain damage, not wrestling, MMA.

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10 Answers

Darth_Algar's avatar

MMA often involves blows to the head. So yes, concussions can just as easily occur in MMA.

ragingloli's avatar

It is very obvious.
You still get punched, kicked and kneed in the head in MMA, same with Wrestling, plus you get thrown against the corner posts, and get slammed into the ground head first from an almost 2m height.

Zaku's avatar

It sounds like you think MMA is wrestling. MMA is Mixed Martial Arts, which does allow grappling but also blows to the head. Including kicks to the head with no protective gear. So once you know that, yeah, it would follow since it involves more than boxing.

zenvelo's avatar

One can get concussions in a variety of sports. Baseball players, especially catchers, get them from colliding with another player or from running into a structure while trying to catch a ball.

My daughter has a friend who was concussed twice while playing girl’s high school basketball; effectively ended her playing career.

The head is much more delicate than most people expect.

MrGrimm888's avatar

It’s also been proven that soccer players, can get concussions, from head butting the ball.

Any time the brain experiences physical trauma, there is a possibility of a concussion…

Dutchess_III's avatar

Obviously.
Football, MMA and boxing are the WORST. I’d never allow a child of mine to play football.

flo's avatar

Yes makes sense. I never would have guessed basketball though.

Zaku's avatar

People get concussions just from falling down or whatever.

The degree of likelihood of head blows naturally makes a huge difference.

MMA involves seriously, intentionally (with the goal of hurting you), getting hit in the head a lot.

Basketball, not so much.

“Heading” the ball in soccer always struck me as a bad idea.

flo's avatar

Yes.
This is what made me post the OP. (By Gemma Sheenan edited to add)
Fights go for three five-minute rounds, but I always finished my opponents in the first—except for once. It was a vicious slugfest. She was a head taller than me and all muscle. As the fight dragged on, I became tired and sloppy. She struck me over and over again in my eyes, nose, jaw, chin. I won, but the white in my right eye had gone blood red, and I was sure I had a concussion. In the car on the way home, I broke into tears. My head was throbbing, my ears were ringing and I ached all over. Could I deal with this kind of pain for the next decade? That was my first moment of doubt.”

The second came shortly after, when doctors called me in to discuss the results of an MRI. They showed me my brain scan and pointed to two clusters of white dots called white matter hyperintensities, lesions that only show up in the elderly, those who have degenerative brain diseases and people who’ve had serious head trauma. And on top of the hyperintensities, I had no cartilage left in my knees. The doctors urged me to retire, but I didn’t listen. Fighters take damage; I could keep going.”

It wasn’t until months later, when I took a hard kick to the head during training, that I finally asked, “How is this worth it?” Even with the promise of all the money and fame, I’m in the spotlight for five seconds. Sure, the fans cheer me on, but if I get injured, they’re on to the next fighter. Meanwhile, my whole life could be ruined. I was only 22, and I wanted to be a good daughter, sister, maybe a wife and mother one day. I wanted to do something meaningful with my life.”
https://torontolife.com/city/life/i-was-the-top-ranked-female-mma-fighter-in-ontario-heres-why-i-walked-away-from-the-sport-at-22/

Dutchess_III's avatar

If you haven’t seen the movie “Concussion” with Will Smith, you should. It’s simply horrifying.

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