Ronda Rousey: Cleveland Clinic found alternative explanation for concussion-like issues

Ronda Rousey’s return made a big splash. Stories include him seeking (and being allowed to) compete despite admitting to brain trauma and neurological problems.

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) said both Rousey and Gina Carano will undergo extensive medical testing before being licensed to compete on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. However, Rousey did not speak out about her post-comeback health until an interview with ” on Friday.The Jim Rome Show“

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When Rousey approached UFC CEO Dana White with the idea of ​​fighting again, he sent her to the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, where Dr. He said Charles Bernick was working to definitively diagnose his problems. Even during light training, headaches and vision problems occurred; however, according to Rousey, Bernick theorized an alternative explanation.

“They did every test possible to check me,” Rousey said. “I actually ended up getting a positive diagnosis because we never figured out what was happening to me. Basically, I get concussion symptoms from lighter and lighter blows. I lose a lot of my vision, my depth perception, and my ability to think clearly. Dr. Bernick of the Cleveland Clinic said, ‘Listen. Listen to all your symptoms. I looked at all your scans. Your brain looks great.’ I was telling him about my past and how I used to get migraines all the time when I was a kid. Epilepsy runs in my family. In every generation of my family, someone had epilepsy. There is some connection between epilepsy and migraines. People who suffer from migraines are more prone to concussions, he said. The more concussions I have, the easier it is for me to get migraines.

“What he thinks happens is that I don’t actually get a concussion every time. He thinks it triggers what’s called a migraine aura, where you lose a lot of your vision. It’s called cortical spreading depression, where your neurons get overexcited and depolarize and shut down like a wave. So when I get hit, I lose a lot of my vision.”

Rousey, 39, said the news was comforting. He’s searched for a drug that targets migraines, and recently found one that he thinks might prevent problems in advance — not that he’s planning to take a swing at Carano.

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“For me, I was like, ‘Oh my God. I’m not dying. CTE isn’t coming to get me,'” Rousey said. “There are actually some things we can do about it. But first of all, we haven’t found any preventative migraine medications. These are medications that you usually take after the fact. We’ve managed to find something that I can take recently that is preventative and that will hopefully solve this problem for me. It’s life-changing.”

“Of course, I’m going to go into the fight with the intention of not getting hit even once. Because that’s basically what I’ve had to do my entire career. But thanks to Dana sending me to the Cleveland Clinic, I finally got a positive diagnosis and I really know what’s going on and I have some actionable information to work with.”