Brain damage by headbanging

[Midi]

I've found an article written in Dutch a couple of minutes ago and thought it was quite interesting yet amusing to read. I made a rough translation so I could share it with you and I'm curious what you think. A 50-year old man comes to the doctor after having a headache for two weeks. "Brain damage by headbanging", is the diagnosis after a few tests, about which the scientifical magazine The Lancet writes. January 2013, a 50-year old man ended up at specialists of the Hannover Medical School after he had been suffering for two weeks from a headache which kept getting worse. The man had an undisputable medical file, no head injuries and denied he used drugs. "The man said he was headbanging four weeks earlier at a Motrhead concert", so writes the study. A brain scan revealed the headbanging left him with a chronic subdural hematoma, a blood congestion between the brains and the cerebral membranes. It could be removed by surgery. The scientists of the study write: "We assume that headbanging, with its abrupt movements, leads to tears in connecting blood vessels, which cause the hematoma." Doctor Ariyan Pirayesh Islamian, head author of the study, says there are few documented cases of hematomas caused by headbanging. "It's possible this occurs more in practice, but this type of brain damage often lacks symptoms. Some patients have a mild headache which disappears by itself". Original text: Headbangen kan hersenschade veroorzaken - Het Nieuwsblad

[FatherAlabaster]

I saw something about this a day or two ago, actually. If true, it's not surprising; I mean, you're shaking your brain around pretty hard for an hour or two. There are plenty of reports of soldiers and athletes developing dementia after severe or chronic brain trauma - that possibility is even more worrisome to me.

[deathstorm]

No more head banging. For me

[Midi]

Well, what I wonder is if the man didn't have any unnoticed problems in his brains or an overall weaker body, since headbanging already exists for about 40-50(?) years and this is, as far as I know, the first time they mentioned it being excessively damaging

[andukaru]

I used to freak out and headbang when I was younger and all it got me was whiplash.

[FatherAlabaster]

Well' date=' what I wonder is if the man didn't have any unnoticed problems in his brains or an overall weaker body, since headbanging already exists for about 40-50(?) years and this is, as far as I know, the first time they mentioned it being excessively damaging[/quote'] The problem with these injuries is that they sometimes take a long time to manifest, and it can be hard to figure out what might have caused them by the time they do. There's no telling how many times it might have happened. And you hear a lot about older guys in bigger bands needing neck surgery for headbanging-related problems. It's not going to stop me from enjoying myself at shows, you know, whatever, but it doesn't surprise me, and it sucks for this guy.

[Iceni]

I usually stop when it begins to hurt a bit. There was one time I didn't and I had headaches for two weeks, so I'm not doing that again. There are also certain kinds of headbanging that are less damaging than others: 'head-swinging' seems pretty safe.

[Midi]

The problem with these injuries is that they sometimes take a long time to manifest' date=' and it can be hard to figure out what might have caused them by the time they do. There's no telling how many times it might have happened. And you hear a lot about older guys in bigger bands needing neck surgery for headbanging-related problems. It's not going to stop me from enjoying myself at shows, you know, whatever, but it doesn't surprise me, and it sucks for this guy.[/quote'] When it comes to the neck, it doesn't surprise me at all. It's easy to acknowledge it must take quite the toll on the muscles, etc. What does surprise me is that they haven't had any documented information on the impact of headbanging on the brain before this icident. Anyway, however it may be, it won't stop me from having a good time either.

[forge]

I think Tom Araya had back surgery or something not too long ago, for a similar reason.

[MorwenKY]

I don't headbang too much because I get tired very soon and my neck hurts like hell. Now I have more reasons to don't do it lol

[GorboGorboze]

I am sure that I've done slight permanent damage to my neck slam dancing, and I've hurt the sole of my right foot contra dancing in bare feet, but from Metal... only hearing loss.

[Frostaudn]

I can't headbang that much/long anymore, since I hurt my neck pretty hard two years ago, during a Possessed-concert.

[RelentlessOblivion]

It's hardly surprising that brain trauma can occur from headbanging. It's an impactful activity. It's also not surprising that there aren't more documented cases. I have an abnormal vein in my brain that I only found out about because of the numerous CAT and MRI scans ordered as a result of my accident. The doctors informed me it is neither life threatening nor as a direct result of the crash and so I probably wouldn't have found out about it had I not crashed. Minor brain injuries often don't have very noticeable symptoms and you aren't getting scans done on your brain under ordinary circumstances so these things are almost impossible to detect. Headbanging is a lot of fun and it's less likely to cause permanant damage then say suffering three serious concussions in as many weeks like some athletes may experience.

[Syuurin]

My mother's side of the family seems to have problems with neck pain, so if I headbang at all (rare), I keep it to slow mode.

[RelentlessOblivion]

I'm a doom fan. We do everything in slow motion...maybe that's why I can't sprint worth a damn on the bike.

[Iceni]

Very hard to look doomy on a bike. Do you drape it in ragged black livery like a phantom baron atop a ghost horse?

[RelentlessOblivion]

How did you know? The black and gray lycra helps that image greatly.

[FatherAlabaster]

Very hard to look doomy on a bike. Do you drape it in ragged black livery like a phantom baron atop a ghost horse?

They can't even see him behind his brother, you can't get much doomier than having all your achievements go unnoticed.

[Vorpal Sword]

This is why I windmill, less strain on the old noggin.

[fumigate]

i get minor whiplash , not so much watching a show i rarely do anything but drink and lean against a wall or post now, but playing on stage you need to be entertaining, so i usually pay for it for a few days to a week later.30+ year old problems...

[FatherAlabaster]

i get minor whiplash ' date=' not so much watching a show i rarely do anything but drink and lean against a wall or post now, but playing on stage you need to be entertaining, so i usually pay for it for a few days to a week later.30+ year old problems...[/quote'] My wife got me doing some yoga with her, just stretches really. It helps a bunch. That, and Aleve...

[Black Milk]

I have some minor neck problems, muscle tissue damage and shit, but I think that's a result of more than just headbanging. I was that kid in high school who'd try to destroy shit with his head just to be a little more metal than you >.< bleh, never had good posture anyway.

[FatherAlabaster]

Hmm, I confined myself to practicing death metal vocals in the hallways and wearing gory t shirts.

[RelentlessOblivion]

I went to a catholic school. Simply not wearing a cross was enough to get me in trouble...and the day I wore a Slayer shirt to school all hell broke loose.