ABC of sports medicine. Head injury in sport.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G McLatchie.
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Twenty active amateur boxers were studied seeking evidence of neurological dysfunction and, if present, the best method for detecting it. Seven of these boxers had an abnormal clinical neurological examination, eight an abnormal EEG and nine of 15 examined had abnormal neuropsychometry. The CT scan was abnormal in only one. An abnormal clinical examination correlated significantly (p less than 0.05) with an increasing number of fights, and an abnormal EEG with decreasing age (p less than 0.05). In several of the neuropsychometric tests, the boxers were significantly worse than controls (p less than 0.05). Neuropsychometry was the best method for detecting neurological dysfunction.
A five-year experience of a breast cancer screening clinic in a Scottish urban area is reported. During this period 28 per cent of the female population aged 25 to 70 years was screened by clinical examination alone. The pick-up rate for cancers was 7.8 per 1,000 'well' women examined, and 21 per cent of all patients with cancer were under 40 years old. Clinical examination is an effective and economical method of screening for breast cancer. The establishment of similar clinics to detect breast disease in women of all age groups is recommended.
The origins of karate and its evolution as a sport are described. Karate injuries tend to occur in three main areas: the head and neck, the viscera, and the limbs. Effective legislation controlling karate, which could help prevent injuries, is lacking at the moment and should be established. Recommendations for the prevention of injury include the introduction of weight classes, mandatory provision of protective equipment such as padded flooring, and the outlawing of certain uncontrollable methods of attack.
Of 1900 head injuries serious enough to be admitted to the neurosurgical unit in Glasgow over a five year period, 52 (2.7%) were due to "sport." Golf, horse-riding, and Association football were the sports most commonly linked with serious head injury. Golfing injuries were all compound depressed fractures, and all these patients made a good recovery; horse-riding produced more severe injuries, three of the eight patients being left with residual disability. Much attention has been directed to preventing repeated minor head injury in boxing, but this study emphasises the need for preventing both the primary head injury and secondary complications associated with other sports.
Of 216 compound depressed fractures of the skull seen between the years 1974-1978, nine (4%) became infected. This is significantly less than the 10% found in previous years. Efforts are being intensified to train primary surgeons, stressing the importance of immediate referral and early treatment.