Adolescent Concussions: Article Analysis

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.

It wasn’t until Dr. McKee and other researchers presented evidence of CTE in football players during a congressional hearing with the U.S. House of Representatives, in 2009, that the NFL changed its approach to addressing these findings. Later that year, during an interview with The New York Times, NFL Spokesman Greg Aiello stated “it’s quite obvious from the medical research that’s been done that concussion can lead to long-term problems.” This was one of the first times the league admitted that concussions and brain injuries had long-term impact on players. Admitting that there was a problem was one of the first steps in overhauling their approach to CTE’s impact on football players. Towards the end of that year, there was a shake up

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.

As we all know, concussions are occurring much more often than they ever have before. Many new ways of preventing concussions and protecting athletic facilities, teams, coaches, etc. from concussion liability are beginning to take place. Many states have begun putting these laws into affect in order to ensure safety for players and others involved in the incidents.

Concussions are a major injury in contact sports. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury. This injury will affect your brain function. Major blows to the head can cause concussions. The neck and upper body can cause your brain to slide back and forth in the inner walls of your skull. There are many major and minor symptoms for concussions. Some of the symptoms are headaches, difficulty with concentration, loss of memory, hard time balancing, ringing in the ears, temporary loss of conscious, nausea, vomiting, and delayed responses. There are many treatments, preventions, and care for concussions.

It's on the news alot lately. It hasn’t been taken seriously until recently and it seeming to hurt a multi-billion dollar industry. It can change a person's life forever. It’s called a concussion, a disease that occurs from multiple impacts to the head or one very big impact to the head. Even with the NFL, sport leagues and colleges taking safely precautions, is it enough to stop it.

The NFL is big part of many Americans life during the fall and the off season. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry that hosts the most watched 4 hours of television in America. As an athlete who played football for many years, I wanted to ask the question; is the NFL’s new rules and penalties preventing concussions? During the first two weeks of April, I have compiled six different resources relating to this topic. Some, such as Trevor Horn’s article "Tackling seminar teaches new methods, inspires faith in safer football” cover the aspects of how youth and high schoolers are effected by concussions and what role the NFL plays. Other articles talk about research being put towards helping diagnose brain trauma in athletes, and also whether or

Many Americans love sports, including football, basketball and hockey. What most people do not think about, is the injury and risks that come along with playing sports. Concussions are a major part of this, and can cause severe brain damage and loss of basic functions. Many sports leagues, however, do not have the right protocol to increase player safety. The National government should implement rules and regulations to improve safety for players.

Parents and coaches, pay attention. Concussions do happen in the pool, and the information provided here today will help guide you through the risks, symptoms, and treatments for concussions. Be head smart in the pool with the complete guide to swimming concussions.

Overall, this article explores the connection between youth concussions and long term degeneration of cognition and motor skills. Athletes who were concussed as late-teens have a high rate of Alzheimer’s and cognition impairments, as early as 30 years after the concussion. Two groups were compared, one who had sustained concussions at this late teen stage, and those who had never been concussed. Various neurological tests were conducted such as the Mini-Mental State Examination, and the Rey-Osterreith Complex Rigure Test, along with a test for motor skills. The MMSE test found no substantial differences between the two groups. However, the concussed group scored lower on the RCFT test, and a lower response time in the motor skills test. They

Almost everyone who has played on a sports team at some point in their life can say they sustained an injury at one point or another. Sometimes these injuries are completely unpreventable and the only thing that can be done is being more aware of that certain injury. Concussions in high school sports is a prime example. This because the potential negative effects of a concussion can be life altering. The effects of sustaining a concussion during high school can be worse than sustaining one in college or in professional sport because that is most crucial time in the brains growth.

What is a concussion? A concussion is a bruise or bleeding in or on your brain. It is caused by a blow to the head or a violent shaking of your head. Concussions can be minor or serious depending on how hard you got hit. During a concussion the person might not know the date or can not see how many fingers you have up. The more you get concussions, the more likely you are to get them. Sometimes they can be fetal.

Studies like the study at Virginia Tech can be used to identify the root cause of consussions and may in result, lead to a solution to the mass head trauma experienced by youth and even professional players. Because concussions occur so often in football, it is a suitable ground sero for the research on consussions in sports. It can lead to better medical diagnosis on the field where spli-second decisions are made and even in domestic cases. I addition, because concussions are a very misunderstood injury, this research is needed. The study wishes to develop a better helmet for football specifically but sports like hoccer could be benefitted too. The general knowledge of concussions would expand if more advanced and specific studies like these

Sports related concussions have become an increasing problem among young athlete, especially seen among athletes who take part in high contact sports such as football. Concussions can be defined as an impulse blow to the head.1 There has been a growing amount of studies about sports concussions, which have provided a variety of evidence-based practice about athletes safe return to play.1 The research to date suggest a common theme on managing a player’s return to play reflecting players should ‘rest until symptom free.’2 Athletes resting allows for the brain to recover and be able to re-establish neurometabolic balances and restore ideal neurological function.2 Many high school athletes are not see taking time for complete rest, including rest from studying, video games, and texting, which can further cause a delay in return to play, which makes it necessary for health care providers, coaches, players, and parents to have a direct understanding of the recovery process of a concussion. 1,2,3 The goal of this study was to investigate the knowledge of varsity football players and coaches about concussion symptoms, along with identifying players suffering from a concussion, based on the current summary and protocol tools provided by Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) and King Devick tests.

According to the department of Orthopedic Surgery, at Wayne State University, “Youth football programs across the United States represent an at-risk population of approximately 3.5 million athletes for sports related concussions” (Buzas 1). Despite these risks, it is easy for some parents get involved in the game and overlook the danger that their children are in. There are parents who do not realize the severity of effects a concussion can have, as there are parents who do not know exactly what a concussion is. In order to recognize how severe the effects of concussions are, the individual must first understand what a concussion is. According to Medicine.Net, a concussion is, “a traumatic injury to soft tissue, usually the brain, as a result of a violent blow, shaking, or spinning. A brain concussion can cause immediate but usually temporary impairment of brain functions, such as thinking, vision, equilibrium, and consciousness” (Medicine.Net). Concussions can increase in effect or cause permanent damage if not taken care of properly. Learning how to properly deal with concussions is essential for all ages; it is more crucial for youth football players because younger children are more susceptible to long-term risks from head injuries (Buzas 1).