The Dangers Of Concussions In Professional Football

The saying goes, when it rains it pours and for the NFL that is what happened when dangers of the sport were exposed. What the NFL did, however, was deny that any of these dangers were accurate. When Dr.

Head injuries, including concussions, particularly in the game of American football, have become a subject of deep concern, much study and even Congressional hearings in the United States.

My first research project was the dangers and preventions of concussions in sports. Concussions can be very dangerous if you are not wearing the proper equipment and do not treat them properly. For those of you who don’t know “a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head or body, a fall or another injury that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull”. There are many symptoms of a concussion. “You may be suffering from a concussion if you experience dizziness, headache, off-balance, amnesia for what occurred before the head trauma, anterograde amnesia (a loss of ability to create new memories after the head trauma), difficulty concentrating, irritability and vomiting”.

“In 2012 alone, there were more than 3.8 million reported concussions, twice as many as a decade earlier (Cleveland Medical).” According to the National Library of Medicine, even this seemingly large number of concussions under represents the full number of people who get concussed, because many people don’t seek medical care. In the same way I almost died in 2013. One second I jumped for a high pass and the next, I woke up in the hospital the following day. Many witnesses even profess to me dying on the field. This however, is just one lucky situation in the never ending battle with concussions. Concussions can be caused and worsened by hits to the head, cheap protective equipment, and misdiagnosed injuries.

This essay will examine an intervention for concussion awareness and prevention throughout the United States. Due to the prevalence of concussions throughout the U.S., public health has pushed to implement awareness of how serious this topic is. Concussions can lead to traumatic brain injuries (TBI), which can lead to mortality (HEADS UP, 2016). Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shared that over 138 people die from TBI on a daily basis in the U.S. (HEADS UP, 2016). Programs are being implemented to educate parents, coaches, and young athletes in hopes of concussion reduction. The CDC has created an intervention called Heads Up to provide educational resources for athletes, coaches, parents, and health professionals in regards to concussions. Studies have been conducted that have provided statistical information on how effective the Heads Up program is and suggestions on how it should be considered mandatory training. The Heads Up program has created an outbreak as many states have incorporated policies and laws in regards to concussions.

What is your name? How old are you? Do you know where you are? These simple questions can go unanswered to people who have suffered a concussion. A concussion is defined as, “a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain induced by traumatic biomechanical forces” (qtd. in Rivera 1). Concussions are most commonly caused by direct force, or trauma, to the head. A concussion, “causes temporary loss of brain function leading to cognitive, physical and emotional symptoms, such as confusion, vomiting, headache, nausea, depression, disturbed sleep, moodiness, and amnesia” (Nordqvist 1). Concussions are common in all sports due to the competitiveness and physicalities that come with the game. College sports include some of the highest rates of concussions with so many competitive athletes in their programs. Concussions are a growing issue in all college sports due to their increasing prevalence, the negligence of severity from the NCAA and coaches, and the long-term mental damage college athletes face.

Football is one of the most beloved sports in the United States. It is one of the most violent bone crushing sports, leaving players permanently injured for life in some cases they lose their life. The most common injury that football players suffer from pee-wee through professional football is the concussion. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that changes the way your brain works. The effects of a concussion are usually temporary and can result in a full recovery if it’s minor and treated correctly. A concussion can lead to brain problems later in life, even after a player has finished playing football. Concussions are more than just a swelling bump on the head, they’re considered a minor traumatic brain injury. We need to spread awareness about this injury that sports players are told to “Shake Off” and get right back into the game.

In 2006, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that approximately 1.6 million to 3.8 million sport-related concussions occur each year in the United States (Langois, Rutland-Brown, & Wald, 2006). Sport-related concussions are a subset of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and are defined as a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain (McCrory et al., 2012). The typical signs and symptoms associated with a concussion include confusion, amnesia, headache, dizziness, nausea, loss of balance, and/or poor concentration (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010).

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).

Concussions are mainly caused by the gelatinous brain being forcefully hit against the inner walls of the skull. A violent blow to the head or upper body can cause the brain to shift in various directions in a skull. Sudden starting and stopping of the body can also purpose this type of violent movement within the head. This is why brain injuries can originate from violent shaking of the head or car accidents. Participating in contact sports, being involved in military combat, and having previous concussions are all high risk factors for brain damages.

To appease both former and current NFL athletes affected by this issue, it would be beneficial for the league to formally organize (and publically announce) the integration of a workshop on the potential dangers and medical implications of playing football. Showing an interest in their athletes’ health will rectify some of the general carelessness the NFL has exhibited.

A concussion is an injury to the brain that results from a hit to the head, or to another part of the body that causes impact forces to the head. This results in a temporary alteration in the mental status of the athlete and can have some physical symptoms. Some common causes include direct blows to the head, face, jaw, or neck. Also collisions from the blind side, or hits from behind can occur even if it is not direct blow to the head.

One may ask just what exactly a concussion is. A concussion can be defined as a clinical syndrome characterized by immediate and transient impairment of neural function, such as alteration of consciousness, disturbance of vision, equilibrium, etc., due to mechanical forces (Roy/Irvin, 142). The brain is made up of a “tofu-like”

This paper highlights the effects of concussions on the body. This results are from eleven published articles that report on concussions from research. The articles, do however, vary in how the define concussions. Groce and Urankar (2016) define concussions by using the centers for disease control and prevention definition, concussions are defined “as a mild form of brain injury that can be caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head.” Other articles differ in their definitions but all of them do have one thing in common they involve a blow to the head that ends in damage. This paper will examine the results gathered by the articles as well as spotlighting their results. It is important educate everyone on concussions because the impacts could

American Medical Society for Sports Medicine’s position statement says, “a concussion is a brief traumatic disturbance of the brain's function” (Harmon, Drezner, Gammons, Guskiewicz, Halstead, Herring, Kutcher, Pana, Putukian, Roberts, 2013). This occurs when a linear and/or rotational force is transferred to the brain. Evidence shows that a concussed brain is less responsive to physiological neural activation (Harmon et al., 2013). A few signs and symptoms of a concussion include: headache, nausea/vomiting, difficulty remembering or concentrating, sensitivity to light or noise, balance problems, difficulty sleeping, drowsiness, pressure in head, and changes in emotional status. The more concussions received throughout their life, the longer