Schooled on hard knocks, wrestler educates others on brain injuries
Chris Nowinski, a former defensive tackle for Harvard University football and successful newcomer to World Wrestling Entertainment, is now spending his days attempting to eliminate the "damage" from head injuries in athletics. After having suffered six undiagnosed concussions during his career, Nowinski now suffers from the prolonged symptoms of concussions including headaches, memory problems, sleepwalking and depression. The lack of diagnosis for Nowinski’s injuries and therefore the lack of immediate treatment is what led to early retirement for this promising wrestling star.
Nowinski now has a new goal: to educate coaches, parents and athletes about identifying and treating concussions and to help facilitate research to pin down the injury’s long-term effects. Nowinski recently wrote a book, titled, "Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis from the NFL to Youth Leagues."
You can read more on Nowinski’s story, and what he is doing now to increase awareness of early detection and treatment here.