Post-Concussions: The Event That Changed My Life

Concussions occur time after time throughout different sporting events and many are familiar with the word concussion, but what really is a concussion?

The media and fans fostered a heightened awareness for sport concussion as they learned of high-profile professional athletes who attributed their retirements to repetitive concussions. Additionally, postconcussion syndrome was identified in players who retired for other reasons in the months and years after their injuries. As a result, the current research concerned with the identification, management, and long-term effects of concussion is adding new and exciting information to the professional body of knowledge required to reduce the risk of injury.” (Cerebral Concussion: Causes, Effects, and Risks in

Lastly, having multiple concussions produce long term effects on athletes. This was proven by a study performed that compared athletes with a history of concussions to athletes with no concussion history using a concussion test known as: Immediate Post Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT). This is a computerized test that measures memory capabilities to determine if an athlete has a concussion. It was taken by the athletes prior to their season to find a baseline level. This baseline would then be used to determine if someone has a concussion by comparing it to a post-concussion result of the ImPACT. Every athlete in this study was given the ImPACT test within five days of sustaining a concussion. The results from this

In the United States alone, athletes account for about 300,000 concussions each year (11 Facts). A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that causes swelling of the brain 's soft tissue and disrupts normal brain function (Concussion). A concussion has potential to impact memory and coordination for the rest of the athlete 's life along with lead to other, more serious, brain injuries. In order for athletes to reduce the effects from concussions, they need to be educated on the symptoms, ways to avoid the injury, and the possible lifelong effects.

Recent studies in science have concluded that multiple concussion injuries puts the player not only at immediate risk for problems, but long term health effects including memory loss. Even the most experienced player and coach may not have the proper training or education on recognizing or treating concussions. Concussions in sports remain a large problem. According to CDC research, it is believed that as many as 3.8 million concussions occur in youth through college sports. Unfortunately, less than half of these concussions are properly diagnosed and treated. The reason why so many concussions are left undiagnosed is because of lack of education of officials and coaches, and understanding of the long term effects.

In the sports world today, there are many different injuries that athletes experience and one of the most devastating injury is a concussion. Concussions can happen to anyone, in any sport, but we tend to see most concussions in contact sports (Świerzewski 1). While having an informal conversation with my dad about football, he told me it was common for athletes to receive a head injury in a game and continue to play as if nothing was wrong. While watching SportsCenter, I found that some of the greatest retired athletes don’t remember the best moments of their careers due to the lack of treatment. The worst aspect of concussions is that the symptoms can be delayed; in some cases, it’s only a headache so athletes don’t seek medical treatment. Multiple concussions over time can lead to life-threatening complications due to the damage they cause to the brain. Concussions can happen to anybody at anytime, but there is more to concussions than meets the eye.

It happens so quickly that you can’t even comprehend it, it’s a quick flash and then it’s like your whole world got turned upside down. Some people call it “seeing stars” or “blacking out.” A temporary blow to the head that causes unconsciousness is called a concussion, and they are becoming a serious issue in sports. The term “Concussion” was used pretty loosely back in the 1950’s. This became a serious issue around the early 1990’s and is now one of the most serious issues in today 's sports. Some myths have been brought up about concussions and many researchers decided to test them out and see if they are fact or fiction. Karen Schrock discovered six things about concussions that are true and many people don’t know them. In my own opinion, three out of the six are kind of common sense, but the other three are more unknown true facts about concussions.

Do you keep yourself up to date with the news, ESPN, or the National Football League? If so, then you have probably heard of the many problems of the long-term effects of football-related concussions. Even kids in high school who have suffered multiple concussions are immediately put at risk for death related cause of such a severe head injury. As committees create and change the rules to protect players from such a traumatic brain injury, it is up to coaches and officials to enforce these rules to protect players. According to the Mayo Clinic Staff, a concussion is defined as a traumatic brain injury that alters the way your brain functions. There are many different ways to receive a concussion, but

In the article “Concussions Knowledge in High School Football Players” from the Journal of Athletic training on October 2014, writers Janie Cournoyer and Brady Tripp discuss that high school athletes fail to report symptoms of concussions due to their lack of knowledge on concussion education. For example, after a recent survey, Janie and Brady stated that 54% of participants receive knowledge of concussions from their parents, 60% from an academic source and 25% had no knowledge on what concussions is. The authors also included that most high students who don't report their concussion will likely suffer from post-concussion syndrome and second impact syndrome. It’s dreadful to hear that young athletes can suffer so much just because they lack information on how to evaluate a concussion. Not just the student athlete but the writer explains how parents and coaches have minimal knowledge on evaluating a concussion and choosing whether to put the athlete back to play. In addition, Janie and Brady mention that common symptom presented in a concussion were headaches, dizziness, and confusion. These all can be very harmful to a young athlete because it puts their health at risk. As stated in the article, about 60 - 70% of athletes who suffer a concussion will experience a coma or

Famous athletes that have had concussions and recovered fully (for the most part) include the following, Sidney Crosby (Penguins hockey), Frank Gilford (Giants football), Brett Farve (Green Bay Football ). In fact in the 2012-2013 NFL season nearly 50 percent of players never missed a game after a concussion occurred. While that may show dedication to the sport itself a concussion is serious injury and needs more attention brought to it when it

When you have a concussion it can be hard to focus, you can have lower test scores, and every time you get a concussion you damage your brain long term more and more [Newsela]. Also, after you get one concussion you have a better chance of multiple concussions, like cognitive impairments, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and also it can cause post concussion syndrome [Flynn]. 9/10 teens who continue to show symptoms of brain injury have academic problems like headaches and bad concentration. Once you have multiple concussions you can get syndrome like cognitive impairments (MCI's), chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and post-concussion syndrome (PCS). Headache (85%) and Dizziness (70-80%) are most commonly reported symptoms immediately following concussions for injured athletes [Flynn].“The National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research in Chapel Hill, NC, reported 35 cases of Second-impact syndrome [SIS] among American football players from

In the journal Epidemiology of Concussion in Sport: A Literature Review, they state many ideas and rules that student athletes, coaches, and teachers should know when a student athlete is returning from a concussion. Michael Clay states that doctors have said that an athlete should not return to sports until they have had a few days of being symptom free from any concussion type of symptoms. Clay also says that students should report if they have concussion symptoms even if they have had symptoms in the pass because hiding the fact that they have had previous concussions hiding them and continuing to play could cause more problems with the injury. (Clay

A concussion is a trauma induced alteration in mental status that may or may not result in loss of consciousness. Injured athletes should have to sit out for longer because they are more likely to get a second concussion after getting the first one, concussions can have long lasting effects, and some people are more susceptible to concussions than others.

(Frey 237) Not all concussions are the same, they range in seriousness. They are not all the horrific knockouts seen in mma,boxing,or football. They can be much less noticeable but having even one not so serious concussions means the athlete is 4 times more likely to receive another one if not healed properly. When a concussion happens the player can feel multiple symptoms varying from unconscious to dizziness and anything inbetween. Athletes are usually only affected for short periods of time but can last months if the concussion is severe enough. Rebecca frey describes treatments of concussions,t including rest in dark space and some over the counter ibuprofen. (Frey 238) More serious injuries can require hospital stays also many athletes can not return to the sport for weeks although this can cause more issues in the classroom where the athlete might miss days of school also have to limit class load because this causes stress on the brain. Concussions happen often in football because of the helmet to helmet contact between player but some player see this as part of the game and not as a danger to players . Jim Baumbach an investigative reporter for Newsday interviewed retired players on injuries and other pieces of the game. This list of players includes former linebacker Chad Brown who relayed “There was

Now when you start getting a player that has had more than one concussion then that is when more concerns begin to start. The risk of complications is increased in athletes who prematurely return to play and in those with prolonged loss of consciousness or post-traumatic amnesia. An athlete with prolonged loss of consciousness or signs and symptoms that worsen or persist after a concussion should be evaluated in the emergency department. An athlete should not be allowed to resume sports participation until all symptoms of a concussion have resolved. (Sturmi)