The Finnish goalkeeper got the ball on his head – weeks later, a shocking phone call stopped the initial training: “Bleeding in the middle of the brain”

It’s hard to imagine that head injuries, even serious ones, could be avoided in fast-paced contact sports. Usually, however, injuries are caused by tackle situations or nasty damage, such as heads bumping together.

Eino Muhonen, 25, last fall was dramatic and distressing. The events started when the futsal goalkeeper received a hard shot directly in the forehead. In a way, the processing of events is still in progress.

A futsal ball is smaller than a soccer ball (circumference 62–64 centimeters) and less elastic, but weighs the same (400–440 grams).

In futsal, there are a lot of shots, hard and close. It is not at all rare that the match is interrupted due to the goalkeeper’s position. Busyness requires enough madness.

Even for Muhos, the shot that hit him in the head in the training match in September was not that big of a deal.

– For a while I blew, but nothing that I would have thought otherwise. I finished the game.

– In the evening I noticed a strange feeling, a little dizziness. I went to the emergency room. There they said that if there is no memory loss or vomiting, nothing concrete, then a few days of fluting and back.

So Muhonen continued normally as the goalkeeper of his team Liikunta Riemu. The league season started.

Then Muhonen got another hit on his head, although not as hard as in the training match the season before.

– When I calmed down in the booth after the game and my heart rate decreased, I noticed that I had similar symptoms as after the first concussion. Then I contacted a neurologist.

Muhonen is a little worried that it would have been worthwhile to apply for more detailed studies earlier. On the other hand, visiting the emergency room had calmed the mind.

The phone call stopped

At the neurologist’s office, it was decided to take an MRI. At this point, several weeks had already passed since the first attack.

After the neurologist’s examinations, Muhonen was naturally on the sidelines from training and games until the results of the magnetic resonance imaging came back. It took a week. Muhonen describes that day colorfully.

– The results came to Omakanta, so I had looked at them during the day. I didn’t fully understand, but I interpreted that there doesn’t seem to be anything in these. I was already excited to go to training, while I was waiting for the doctor to call.

Of course, Muhonen didn’t block balls in training yet, but did warm-ups and mobility exercises.

– At the same time, I was hoping that the doctor would call and I would get the last license to train, so to speak.

Finally the call came. The doctor’s words were a nasty surprise and showed that the goalkeeper’s own interpretation had not quite hit the mark.

– The doctor called that there is a hemorrhage in the middle of the brain. Now handbrake on, no contact.

You can never be absolutely 100% sure whether the bleeding came from a ball hit. However, the doctor had said that all the signs pointed to it.

Multiple injury mechanisms of the brain

An eruption of blood is more familiarly known as a bruise. However, it would be a different matter to hear that one was found in the brain.

In Muhonen’s MRI statement, it is stated that there is a defect in the area of ​​the Corpus pineal that suggests hemosiderin accumulation. Specialist in sports medicine Klaus Köhler naturally does not know Muhonen’s case in more detail, but translates it so that “a change suitable for the possible post-bleeding condition” has been found.

When assessing the severity, it is essential whether it is a seepage leak or a larger, active leak.

– It is also important where in the brain it is. Even a small leak in the wrong place can have fatal consequences. A wider leak in another area can cause fewer problems, says Köhler.

Concussions in sports have been monitored more closely.

Regarding futsal, Köhler says that he found a study, which, admittedly, dates back to 2010. It examined World Cup matches and found 5.15 concussions per thousand player matches – slightly more than in soccer at the time. All cases were related to contact between players.

There is no answer to how often concussions have caused bleeding or changes that can be seen in head imaging.

– At worst, we are talking about hospitalization, monitoring and possibly surgery. In the mildest cases, the player can be almost asymptomatic and recover quickly.

Köhler also reminds us of the importance of communication in healthcare. The use of different terms can evoke different images.

– A wooden leg, a contusion, a bruise or an eruption of blood on the thigh are practically the same thing, but for example, an eruption of blood can sound worse than a bruise to someone. We should be careful that the message is conveyed to the patients in a correct and comprehensible way.

Observing the memory was the most distressing

Muhonen’s first symptoms were dizziness, which is difficult to describe.

– Not that traditional dizziness, but a bit like having drunk a couple of doses of alcohol. Coordination and concentration were not one hundred percent.

The most distressing symptom was related to memory, says Muhonen, who studies the social sciences of exercise at the University of Jyväskylä.

– You can go from the living room to the bathroom to get something, and you won’t even remember what you came to get. That kind of hurts, but it felt like now it hurt much more than normal. Of course, in a situation like this, you observe everything like that more, but I insist that it wasn’t just delusional.

The doctor’s instructions for recovery were rest and continuing life as normal. Another blow to the head was not allowed. Physical exertion was gradually increased.

On December 23rd, Muhonen traveled to Vantaa for neuropsychological tests, which measured cognitive abilities, oral and written output – normal practice in brain injuries.

Left a little scared

In January, Muhonen got the green light to return to the playing fields. The beginning was not simple. There had been extra caution and tension left in the fight work.

The neurologist had said that, based on the tests, it is still possible to recommend continuing to play, but another blow and new symptoms could end the goalkeeper’s career once and for all.

– Even that left a little fear.

On Saturday, Muhonen will fight with his goal to prevent his team from being relegated from the Futsal League. The other qualifier is JoSePa, and the match will be played in Joutsa. In the same hall, Muhonen got a ball on his forehead in the fall. Some kind of circle closes.

Although Muhonen is not a professional athlete, playing futsal is a hobby he loves, so remembering what happened also brings emotions to the surface.

– When I was on the sidelines for a long time, I had time to think about what if I had to stop. Now that he has been able to train and play, there is such a thought that luckily the matter has not been interrupted yet. It’s so much fun.