OKC Thunder: James Harden's concussion a scary brain injury

So it goes with brain injuries.

That's what we're talking about here. Oh, the medical term for what Harden is suffering from is a concussion. It's a word that we've become well-acquainted with in the sports world. Unfortunately, concussions are killing athletes, sometimes in an unexpected instant but more often in a slow, painful existence.

Concussions are awful, horrible beasts.

And yet, we've somehow become desensitized to the word concussion. It doesn't alarm us. It doesn't faze us.

So, let's call it what it is — a brain injury.

Doesn't seem nearly so innocuous, does it?

Harden has a brain injury. The impact of a meaty, maniacal dude smashing his elbow into the soft spot just behind Harden's ear jarred his brain, banging it around his skull and bruising it who knows where.

Sounds scary because it is.

These types of brain injuries have caused sports at every level to take stock of their athletes. Youth leagues. College teams. Professional ranks. Everyone is trying to make their game safer.

Most notable in that movement is the NFL. In the past couple years, it has taken an extremely hard line on potential concussion-causing hits; it has seen too many former players developing all sorts of mental illnesses. Dementia and Alzheimer's top the list.

But the NFL isn't the only one taking action.

The NBA adopted a concussion management program this past December. (Hey, just because the basketball is non-tackling doesn't mean it's non-contact.) This is the league's attempt to standardize the steps a player must take in order to return to the court after a concussion.

There are neurological tests and exertion tests. A player has to ride a stationary bike, then jog, then do a battery basketball drills. After each activity, he has to remain symptom free.

No headaches. No dizziness. No side effects of any kind.

If that doesn't happen at any stage along the way, he has to go back to the first test and start all over again.

It's a little like getting to the end of Chutes and Ladders, then hitting that big slide that sends you back to the beginning. (Didn't you hate it when that happened?) And yet, it's all done in the best interest of the player.