Neuro Note 2: Kim Gorgens' Ted Talk


Kim Gorgens Ted Talk: Protecting the brain against concussion 

When I came across this Ted Talk, seeing the word concussion sparked my interest and I knew it would be a video that I could relate to and enjoy listening to. I have never sustained a concussion myself, but I have always been interested in concussions and what effect they have on the brain in the long run. Concussions have been taken lightly in the past and now that more research has been done on them, they are a growing cause of concern for the healthcare field. Kim Gorgens says in her Ted Talk that concussions and their longterm effects are not established quite yet, but it has been studied that concussions can be the leading factors in multiple mental issues. 

Kim talked a lot about her child and how she feels that she is overprotective of him and his actions. I don't have children yet, but I know that in the future I will be able to relate. When I was a kid, my mom forced me to wear a helmet any time I got on a bike, roller blades, or a skateboard. Of course back then, it wasn't "cool" to wear a helmet and all I did was fight with her about it. I didn't understand why I had to wear a helmet when none of my friends did. But as I grew up, I really began to appreciate why my mom wanted me to wear a helmet; it wasn't to torture me, but it was to protect me and decrease my risk of a head injury. 

From Kim's statistics and shared parenting methods, it became apparent to me that you can't protect your child from everything that this scary world possess, but you can help to reduce the potential risk of a head injury. Throughout her Ted Talk, Kim gave a few statistics and it astonished me just how vulnerable kids are to head injury. She shows a video of a football play where a kid gets hit at over 100Gs, but then goes on to say that a concussion is sustained at an average of 95Gs. Honestly, that scares me to death. How can I watch that video and still want my future children to play sports like football or baseball? Yes there are helmets used in many sports, but that still doesn't lessen the anxiety. 

I think the biggest lesson that can be learned from this Ted Talk is that kids are going to be kids and there's not much that can be done to completely prevent concussions. But what can be done is preventive methods to reduce the risk of a concussion. Not just the use of helmets, but proper training and prior knowledge can be useful tools when it comes to someone who sustains a concussion. 




Gorgens, Kim. (2010, May). Kim Gorgens: Protecting the brain against concussion [Video File]. 
Retreived from https://www.ted.com/talks/kim_gorgens_protecting_the_brain_against_concussion#t-
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