Sports Related Concussions

Concussions occur on a large scale in football. During a concussion, the head can experience a blow directly or can have whiplash. When the head is hit, the brain hits the inside of the skull, giving it a temporary bruise. This bruise or tearing of the brain can lead to mental impairments that can affect a person’s emotional state of being, physical problems like deteriorated mobility and sensitivity to light and sound. Doctors are quick to point out one of the major reasons that youth receive concussions, saying, “... children have big heads relative to the rest of their bodies and weak necks… that elevates the risk of concussions,” (P6). Along with a lack of education and care for the protection of athletes, youth are already at a huge risk. When children wear their football helmets, they are saving themselves from many injuries that could have occurred without them, most especially protecting the brain. But, in many cases, this is not enough.

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.

Today, one of the more common injuries in youth sports is a concussion. A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that occurs after a player has either taken a hit to their body that has caused both the head a brain to quickly jerk back and forth, or by a sudden shock or knock to the head. With the force and sudden movement, there is movement of the brain which can cause chemical changes that can lead to permanent or stretching the brain cells. By the above definition you can start to think of many instances in sports where a player can receive a concussion.

We have all heard of the term “sports injury”. Usually an accident that occurs when engaged in a sport, the ideal can apply from something as frustrating as a rolled ankle to the more debilitating shock of a broken arm. Yet the fact remains that these physical ailments will heal, and properly, if they are treated properly. But what about concussions? What are the long term effects? In her brief editorial in TIME magazine, Alexandra Sifferlin explores the effects of concussions and specifically how they affect children if they aren't disclosed.

Concussions have huge negative effects on the brain. Repeated trauma alters the structure and function of the brain. Researchers have used MRIs to demonstrate that maltreated children have smaller head size and brain volume compared to children with no history of maltreatment (De bellis. Keshavan, Clark, Case, Giedd, Boring et al.,1999; Mulvihill, 2005). Smaller brain sizes may be responsible for lower intelligence or cognitive ability, less impulse or emotional control, motor development delays, diagnosis or mental and psychological disorders and poor socio-emotional and or psychological function (De Bellis; Glaser, 2000). Some the the symptoms that occur after a concussion are according to (Aubry, 2002, pp.6-18) unaware of period, opposition, score of game, confusion, amnesia, loss of consciousness, unaware of time, date, place, headache, dizziness, nausea, unsteadiness/loss of balance, Feeling “dinged” or stunned or “dazed”, “Having my bell rung”, Seeing stars or flashing lights, ringing in the ears, and/or double vision. After a possible concussion any one or

Developing brains can be affected more severely and seriously when students get a concussion due to the fact that the mind is still growing and learning new things everyday. According to the article, Virginia Board of Education Guidelines for Policies on Concussions in Student Athletes, concussions can happen with or without loss of consciousness and they can also be very difficult to diagnose in teens and adults alike. Permanent brain injury and damage can occur if concussions go undiagnosed and without treatment. Teen concussion symptoms differ greatly from adult symptoms, considering teen brains and central nervous systems are still developing and the symptoms tend to be

There are a countless number of students in high school and college throughout all of the U.S. that participate in sports and physical activities. High school sports are a fun and enjoyable way for young adults to compete and play in an organized setting. Many of these sports involve a copious amount of risk for injury. There are preventative measures to a certain extent in most sports to limit the risk of injury as much as possible. There are an umpteen number of injuries that one can sustain during the participation of sports. One of these injuries that should be put on the radar is the concussion. Concussions and serious brain injuries

Concussions in high school sports doubled from 2005 to 2012. High School’s put in a new rule called “Return to Play” this rule was put into place so players waited the right amount of time to come back after receiving a serious head injury. Coming back to quick with a concussion can get you hurt even more or possibly cause permanent brain damage. Studies show that a concussion from a high school athlete takes longer to recover from than for older athletes. Also, studies show that even teenagers are at risk for head trauma not just adults and older athletes. Between 2005 and 2012, four thousand twenty-four concussions were diagnosed in nine sports. This is a very high number for just high school sports alone. Concussions have went up in 5 sports mainly those sports are football, wrestling, baseball, basketball and softball. Therefore, concussions have not only effected football. Many people fail to realize how many athletes are truly affected by a

In the united states over 170 million adults participate in physical activities, including sports which can have a greater impact on unorganized sports because most of the time there not properly trained and just go for what they know and injure themselves 1.6 to 3.8 million concussions occur in recreational activities annually. However, this vastly underestimates total concussions, as many individuals suffering from mild or moderate concussions do seek medical advice... Many of these activities are associated with an increased risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI). In the united States, an estimated 1.7 million people sustain a TBI annually, associated with 1.365 million emergency room visits and 275,000 hospitalizations annually with associated direct and indirect cost estimated to have been $60 billion in the United states in 2000, So concussions are not only taken a big toll on someone’s life but also their pockets.

Sports injuries are often thought of as being physically visible as soon as they happen. Many of these injuries are imagined to be bloody wounds, broken bones, or torn ligaments. Since injuries like the ones mentioned beforehand are visible with the naked eye, they are treated immediately and are not taken lightly. Concussions, on the other hand, are head injuries that cannot be seen with the naked eye. This is what makes concussions more frequent and dangerous to athletes. Concussions are “traumatically induced physiological disruption of brain function that can be caused by either a direct blow to the head or by indirect forces transmitted to the head” (Johnson 181). The symptoms of a concussion include, but are not limited to, headache, dizziness, loss of balance, and blurred vision (McCrea, Hammeke, Olsen, Leo, and Guskiewicz 15). Some patients may not experience any symptoms. Concussions cannot be diagnosed without extensive medical procedures so they are often overlooked. The effects of concussions are often mentally and physiological rather than physical. According to Dr, Syd Johnson, “concussions can result in deficits in attention and concentration, reaction time, processing speed and memory, and executive function” (Johnson 181).

Every athlete is affected in some way of the risk of receiving a concussion during practice or in the game from the youth level up to the professional level of play. I will focus more on my topic about concussion in athletes on the football at all levels. How Center of Diseases Control of Prevention (CDC), has created a level of course training for coaches and administrators so they will be knowledgeable of what to do if a concussion occurs whether during practices or game day. How to use the return to play rules to keep the athletes from more injury. Because most sport start at the youth program, the focus has been placed heavily on prevention at the youth and high school levels. Educating youth athletes is the most

With the growth of contact sports, such as football, hockey and wrestling, neurologists have seen a shocking rise in the number of reported concussions. Perhaps the greatest increase of SRCs have been seen in adolescents participating in organized team sports. In a 10-year span, emergency department visits for 8 to 13-year-old children doubled, while 14 to 19-year-olds nearly tripled (McCrea, Nelson and Janecek, 2014). The actual number of these concussions are thought to be higher than reported because the inclination of athletes to not recognize this injury.

According to SCI, a concussion is defined as a complex pathophysiological process that affects the brain (SCI, 2016). A concussion is commonly known as a mild traumatic brain injury, often sustained in sports, falls, motor vehicle accidents, assault, and other incidents (Cornell, 2015). A blow or jolt to the head that disrupts the normal function of the brain (Brainline, 2015).

In football kids get there concussion by getting hit in the head be either being blocked or tackled with your head down. Kids that suffer these concussions have to sit out of their sport for weeks on end because of the dizziness and nausea and also the headache. When kids get these symptoms, it makes it hard for them to play in their sport because they start getting dizzy when running and also will start seeing double of something like if you are in soccer and you are running and you are chasing after the ball and you go to kick the ball and

Concussion: 1. temporary unconsciousness caused by a blow to the head. The term is also used loosely of the after effects such as confusion or temporary incapacity. 2. a violent shock as from a heavy blow. Now which seems worse, a child who has been knocked unconscious, or one who has taken a blow to the head and experiences and violent shock neurologically? Both meaning the same thing in essence, these are the definitions of a concussions. Now ask yourself, how many people you know that have received concussions, perhaps multiple, and function just fine? The number, depending on who you are, might very well be a high number, but what’s the harm in that? Although symptoms of concussions may disappear, the damage internally is permanent, and that damage can be life threatening either now or down the road. The reason children are brought into this mix rather than everyday