Chokes in mixed martial arts. Comment on Hubbard et al. Brain Injury (2019; 33: 349-354)

ABSTRACTThis letter to the editor is in response to “The King-Devick test in mixed martial arts: the immediate consequences of knock-outs, technical knock-outs, and chokes on brain functions” by authors Hubbard et al., published in Brain Injury (2019; 33: 349–354). This study explored the impact of events significant enough to end mixed martial arts training sessions or matches, with “event” meaning a knock-out, technical knock-out, or event without head trauma; the measuring stick was the King-Devick test (K-D). This communication clarifies the portion of their study and manuscript focusing on “events without observed head trauma.” These events without head trauma were choke-outs, near choke-outs, and non-choke submissions. Fourteen athletes sustained these types of events; nine had worse post-event K-D times, one had no change, and five had post-event improvement. Despite this non-significant result, the authors frame an argument that these non-traumatic events cause anoxic brain injury resulting in sim...