Concussions In High School Football

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.

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

Concussions have become a major controversy in the United States. Because of uninformed students and negligent coaches, many student athletes are experiencing the severe complications that accompany the injury. High school athletes seem to be the most affected and for this reason are more vulnerable than other students to experience concussions. Not properly managing concussions in time could have significant and problematic injuries that could potentially effect the victims overall ability to live a healthy life. For this reason, athletes should have to stay out of any physical activity for the necessary time to allow their brain to properly heal.

A concussion is a mild head injury which is sustained by a jolt or impact to one's head. “Concussions can be caused by a variety of traumatic events: motor vehicle accidents, penetrating injuries, sports injuries, strikes, and falls”(Schafer, 2014). Side effects of concussions range from clumsiness. slurred speech, nausea or vomiting, headache, balance problems or dizziness, blurred vision, sensitivity to light and noise, sluggishness, ringing in the ears, personality changes, difficulty concentrating and memory loss. A concussion is similar to a bruise on an arm or leg but instead the bruise is on the tissues of the brain. Since people can’t see the damage of the injury to the brain many concussions go undiagnosed or untreated for days weeks or even years. When a concussion goes undiagnosed or untreated it can result in further head trauma: untreated it can lead to blood clots and tumors in the brain, an onset of parkinson’s disease and in worst cases death. However it wasn't until 2011 that the issue of concussions went into the public spotlight.

Concussions are common due to the fact that there is not much protection between the skull and the brain. The medical definition of a concussion is, “ A traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth,” ( What is a Concussion). Concussions can cause temporary loss of consciousness due to the bruising of the brain and the force of the impact. During the impact, “The brain [may] bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes, sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). That is why concussions can have such a lasting impact. Depending on the extent, most concussions only last for a few days to a week, but some can last for months due to the damage. Concussions are put into categories based on how long they are believed to last so doctors know how long to keep athletes out from strenuous activity. “Concussions are graded as mild (grade 1), moderate (grade 2), or severe (grade 3), depending on such factors as loss of consciousness, amnesia, and loss of equilibrium” (Lava ). With each grade, there are different symptoms and differences in how long they last.

According to an excerpt from "Virginia Board Of Education Guidelines for Polices on Concussions in Student Athletes", a concussion is a brain injury that occurs when someone receives any type of hit that results in the sudden jarring of the head. One concussion may result in headaches, dizziness, nausea, loss of consciousness, mood swings, and depression. These effects may last from a few hours to thirty years. In addition to short term effects that usually occur with any head trauma, long term effects are always possibility as well. Some long term effects include behavioral changes, slowing of movements, and an increased possibility of suicide. These debilitating symptoms can persist long after the impact and lesson someone's quality of life. With a proper evaluation and the necessary recovery time though, these symptoms can be extinguished.

The sound of two helmets bashing together sends a piercing crack through the stadium, soon to be followed by a roar of thunderous applause from every fan in the stadium. The next day the paper reads that one of the players in the collision suffered a concussion, nut the only thing people care about is watching the highlight on SportsCenter. Yet, people watching the games, coaching the games, and playing the games have never fully understood the danger of concussions. It is important for people in the football community to become aware of what head to head hits in football cause because they do not know the true danger of concussions and how often they occur, what concussions can lead to, and how drastically football can decrease the quality

Societies evolve, that's just what they do and America ’s is no exception…(add more)Over the last decade, high school football has claimed 100 lives, which is a staggering amount. Additionally, 47% of concussions in all sports occur in high school football players. To top all of this off, Even if a student athlete had no documented concussions or even reported symptoms, in the long term they have a high chance of developing serious brain damage.

There is a lot of rising controversy surrounding minors and high-impact sports like football. From Elementary age kids playing little league to high school football, an increasing number of studies are surfacing that are showing many negative effects surrounding head trauma. Some experts are even calling for the sport to be banned from middle and high schools. The concerns surrounding head trauma have existed in the NFL for numerous year, and these concerns brought foreword extensive new research in detection, effects, and prevention. Even today the NFL plans to spend 100 million dollars on new prevention and treatment options for concussions. The shock absorption technology used in football helmets has made advanced majorly in the last 10 years, yet concussion rates are increasing. With the risk of head trauma having long term consequences, especially in minors with developing brains, the ideas of terminating the sport take root. Although serious, these risks are far outweighed by the benefits of football that a substitute sport can not provide: The answer to how to make football safer for minors is much simpler and cheaper than advancing technology.

A concussion is a sudden blow, which applies a blunt force to the brain, traumatizing it. It is also a change in brain function which follows a blow to the head, may be accompanied by a temporary loss of consciousness, is identified in awake individuals, and includes measures of neurologic and cognitive dysfunction (Carney et al., 2014). A concussion can affect in short-term and long-term consequences on health. Most episodes of concussion may end up with short-term consequences; however, a single episode of concussion may lead to long-term health issue. The most common causes of concussion are accidents in high velocity vehicles and sports that engaged lots of body contact, such as football, ice hockey, and boxing.

Many people hear the word “concussion” and think of it as being just a simple headache; however, not many know the significant health consequences associated with receiving a concussion. Concussions can have a variety of adverse effects on a person, some of which include sensory changes and deficits, emotional difficulties like depression, and an overall reduction in cognitive functioning. Abnormal eye movements and a reduced sense of touch are examples of sensory changes and deficits that are common with concussions. Individuals on the receiving end of concussions also deal with emotional difficulties including depression and even certain forms of guilt. Reduction in overall cognitive

Football, some would say, is America’s new favorite pastime. It’s enjoyed by adults and children alike. Many kids grow up playing the sport. Starting from the peewee level and progressing until they reach the high school level. Sometimes, if they’re good enough, maybe even farther. However, high school football is where players really take strides to become better at the game. As with any sport, there are injuries. Yet, there is one injury in particular that has some petitioning for significant change to the sport, even to the point of banning it. That injury is concussions.

Football is a widely recognized sport, but over the years it increased the attention of many news outlets due to their severe and damaging outcomes. It sadly led to star football players’ lives being withheld, or immediately taken. Players should come home with victories or how they can improve, so they could win, than not coming back home due to a overnight hospital stay. That being said, I wouldn’t let my son play football at a young age, because it causes long term injuries, promotes violence, and unfortunately leads to death.

Concussions should be taken more seriously because a concussion can be a serious injury to anybody. Neurologists say “Americans don't take concussions seriously enough, and warn that if someone has more than one concussion, your brain suffers cumulative damage that could add up to memory loss and permanent damage” (Shrieves and Fowler). Getting a concussion can cause serious injury that can lead to being deadly. When someone gets a concussion it is a injury to the head causing the brain to be shaken up. Symptoms of having a concussion can include: being dizzy, having a headache, throwing up, and foggy eyes. “Despite being the least serious type of traumatic brain injury, the symptoms range from mild to severe and include problems such as memory loss and confusion, unconsciousness and seizures or fits (Fallahi).