ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The University of Michigan has a program for athletes with brain and nerve injuries that doesn't run afoul of performance-enhancing drug guidelines.
Athletes are more prone than others to a lot of brain and nerve problems -- from concussions and migraines to sleep problems and nerve injuries caused by repetitive use, all of these have the potential to interfere with their ability to compete -- or even to return to practice, according to Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, a University of Michigan neurologist.
The medicines that athletes use to treat these ills need to be chosen wisely, to keep them from violating sports-league rules, says Kutcher.
"Our clinic is dedicated to competitive athletes and the neurological concerns that they might develop from playing their sport, but also for the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of neurological conditions that they might have unrelated to their sport," says Kutcher.
Getting hit on the head with a ball, suffering a hard jolt from a collision, or hitting the ground hard are all ways that athletes' brains can get injured -- even if they don't get knocked unconscious, athletes whose brains get "bumped" in this way can suffer a concussion, according to Kutcher.
