Do not knock yourself out! Brain injury and brain health

But in daily life, when we talk about traumatic brain injury and blackouts, we sometimes at least, not always, but sometimes we think about knockouts in the boxing area and Muhammad Ali and all these things having been knocked out too many times that might get you a traumatic brain injury that you suffer from the rest of your life and so on.

But there are obviously other risks except for boxing or MMA or all these kinds of things where you are hitting deliberately at the head that imposes risk to us in everyday life.

Are there situations where you think, oh, people should have protected their brains a little better?

I mean, let's say the less dramatic answer and probably the more important one is false, right? Particularly as populations age.

I mean, as you mentioned, we naturally think about boxing, rugby or high-speed car chases because they're usually dramatic.

But in many countries, ordinary people, falls on stairs, in bathrooms, on ice, from ladders, from bicycles.

I mean, they represent a major part of the traumatic brain injury burden, especially in older adults.

Alcohol also matters because it creates exposure to falls and road trauma.

Cycling and very popular e-scooters.

We're getting to

that.

Yeah.

They also matter because I mean, speed converts, let's say an ordinary loss of balance into a high energy event, which is very important when you ask trauma physicians, right? And sport matters not only because of diagnosed concussion, but because as you said, you know, some athletes, they accumulate large numbers of repetitive impacts over the years, right? So I would say the The everyday principle is simple, right? Risk is sort of force maybe multiplied by exposure.

So if you reduce either one, you also reduce the opportunity for injury.

And in fact, the Lancet Neurology Commission specifically identifies road safety, fall prevention in older adults.

and reduction of head impact exposure in sport as sort of major prevention targets for traumatic brain injuries.

We're getting into the e-scooters and the prevention a little later.

Here is one.

Yeah, I have to say I'm very annoyed by the e-scooters and especially when we see the head injuries in the young ones.

But we'll come back to

that.

I can sort of

breathe a little before I get into that agitated discussion.