Judo is considered to be a safe sport, but being a contact sport, sometimes accidents do happen. According to a survey done during the last quarter of 2013 that questioned 4659 judo athletes from all levels about their injuries in judo, 79% reported to have sustained one or more injuries that took them out of training or competition for longer than 3 weeks. Besides classical injuries in the knee, shoulder and ankle, 217 (about 4%) athletes reported a concussion [1].
Symptoms of concussion can include a headache (that doesn’t seem to go away with painkillers), dizziness, nausea, vomiting, memory loss, clumsiness, trouble with balance, unusual behavior, mood swings, feeling stunned, confusion or loss of conscience [7].
The knowledge around recovery from a sports related concussion is far from complete. The main advice that doctors and neurologists give is to first rest a few days and gradually come back to activity. It’s important not to return to the mat too fast and to reduce the risk of a second concussion as much as possible as a consecutive concussion is likely to be worse [4].
Nutrition-wise, there are some interesting prospects that might help speeding up the recovery process. Unfortunately, this topic is not easy to research; you can’t intentionally cause a concussion on people for the sake of research, therefore this topic remains vague and based mainly on animal studies.
Creatine monohydrate
Besides known benefits on performance, creatine supplementation looks promising in terms of concussion recovery. It is known that after a concussion the brain requires more energy (ATP) in order to recover. Creatine can help by replenishing these energy stores quicker [2].
Since it takes a few days until creatine supplementation becomes effective, it is questionable if starting to take creatine after sustaining a concussion is beneficial, given that concussion symptoms are usually resolved in under 2-3 weeks [5]. On the other hand, athletes that already take creatine on a regular basis may experience enhanced recovery [5]. For those athletes it would therefore be unwise to cease creatine ingestion during their recovery phase.
Omega 3 and DHA in particular
Omega 3 supplementation before or after sustaining a concussion showed reduced structural damage and cognitive decline in animal studies [b,d].
Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid and it is recommended to ingest 250mg-500mg/day. It is found in fatty fish and certain algae, both can also be taken as a supplement. The effective dose to aid in the recovery of concussion is not well established yet, but is likely to be higher than the usual standard recommended dose. If you want to experiment with omega 3 supplementation, you can temporarily take up to 5g/day omega 3, which is a high dose which is still considered safe [3].
Curcumin
Curcumin is a phytochemical found in turmeric, which is often used in the kitchen as a spice. Supplementation with curcumin has been shown to improve balance after a concussion [2].
Curcumin is a supplement that is gaining popularity in athletes due to its anti-inflammatory effect [5]. Recommended dosage for curcumin is 2-3x 500mg per day combined with either lipids or peperine (black pepper extract) [6].
Antioxidants
Resveratrol is a polyphenol found in red wine and nuts. It is a powerful antioxidant that has neuroprotective effects in degenerative neurological diseases. Studies showed that it can protect the brain by increasing cell survival also after concussion[2].
Vitamin C and E can reduce the severity of brain injury by reducing oxidative stress after a concussion. Interestingly this effect was bigger when a combination of these vitamins were taken rather than a single one [2].
Conclusion
While it’s still too early to claim that these supplements will definitely help you in your road to recovery, they all have other health benefits and won’t hurt your healing process.
Supplements won’t magically cure concussion, but in the near future may play a supporting role in recovery protocols. In any case, an athlete that sustained a concussion should be followed by a doctor, and take sufficient time off, before returning to the mat.
