Mother-of-two left with brain damage after repetitive concussions whilst playing lacrosse

After suffering several knocks to the head playing lacrosse for 22 years, Charlotte Beazley, 39, still suffers debilitating symptoms even many years after the last concussion she suffered.

Six years ago, the last concussion Charlotte suffered, left her vomiting every day, unable to look at moving objects and she was eventually left housebound, sleeping 16 hours a day. She was hit in the back of the head by someone’s shoulder while playing lacrosse but, with five minutes left in the match, she carried on playing and tried to shake it off.

Once a concussion eventually was diagnosed, and after undergoing further tests, doctors discovered she had damaged her vestibular system, which carries messages to the brain from the inner ear. This made her feel dizzy, suffer regular migraines and develop extreme sensitivity to light and sound, so much so that she was unable to watch TV, use a phone or computer or even read a book without aggravating her headaches.

Charlotte decided to tell of her experience now after recent research from scientists in Australia claimed that suffering just three concussions in a lifetime can cause long-term brain problems. They studied almost 16,000 people and found those aged 50 to 90, who has experienced four or more concussions, showed poorer attention, processing speed and working memory.

With ongoing symptoms including migraines, extreme sensitivity to light and sound and motion sickness, after suffering seven concussions, Charlotte is unable to swing her children around as it causes her to feel unwell and she acknowledges she now has an increased risk of developing early onset dementia.

Charlotte said: “There needs to be an education and change of mindset around brain injury. I used to tell people I’d just had a concussion, but now we know that just because you can’t see the injury, it doesn’t diminish its impact on your life. It’s important to understand so that children in the future don’t have to go through the same ordeal I have gone through. I don't think people realise what the effects can be.”

After retiring last year, Charlotte now devotes her time to improving awareness of the risks of brain injuries and how to manage them as part of the United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum (UKABIF).

Gary Herbert, partner in our personal injury department, said:

“Whilst there has been a lot of discussion about professional contact sports such as football or rugby, this experience sadly shows that the problem is apparent across all contact sports. Having played sports myself, I understand completely the competitive instinct to shrug off injuries and keep going to win the game. 

However, we need to adjust our mindsets when it comes to head injuries. They are not like dead legs or bruising where tolerance of pain is the limiting factor, as the damage being caused is often painless and invisible. It is important for us all to start treating every concussive brain injury like a broken bone – that the person should be told to leave the pitch immediately to prevent further damage.”

Gary Herbert is a Partner in personal injury here at Potter Rees Dolan. Should you have any queries about a head injury in sport or indeed any other aspect of personal injury and wish to speak to Gary or any other member of the team, please contact us on 0800 027 2557 or contact Gary directly.

Similar articles

• New rules to ban heading the ball in training before and after a professional football game
• Revolutionary study to research whether wearing headgear can reduce brain injury in rugby
• Advice to those who have suffered concussion provided for free online
• Former Welsh rugby captain diagnosed with early onset dementia

• Post-concussion syndrome: how a bump on the head can affect your brain for years