Concussions Research Paper

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. The most common injury that football players suffer from pee-wee through the NFL 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 its minor and treated correctly. A concussion can lead to brain problems later in life, even after a player has finished playing football. This is why people are studying and trying to understand concussions fully in order to prevent and treat future ones. Concussions are very

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

Did you know that 99% of the dead NFL players had signs of Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when scientist looked through their brain (Ventras)? Most people wouldn’t know this fact, but scientist do and have known this since 2002. Even though they are making improvements, there is still an alarming rate of concussions happening. This report will discuss who is affected, how it can be prevented, how it is affecting sports today.

A concussion is medically defined by a traumatic injury to the brain. An athlete that has a concussion may experience signs of confusion, may lose consciousness, disorientation, or have a dazed look. Concussions occur due to an impact with the ground or another player. The skull is stopped by the impact, but the brain continues to move inside the skull in a shaking or spinning manner. Medical experts state that, “Violent shaking caused the brain cells to become depolarized and fire all their neurotransmitters at once in an unhealthy cascade, flooding the brain

In the U.S. alone, athletes suffer from roughly 300,000 concussions per year; 3,800,000 concussions were reported in 2012, which is double of what was reported in 2002. A concussion may be defined as a type of 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. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, stretching and damaging the brain cells and creating chemical changes in the brain. Concussions are not usually considered life-threatening, but they may result in effects to the brain that may lead to devastating outcomes. Concussions are serious injuries that need to be taken seriously because of their severity and the serious health disorders that may arise.

The signs and symptoms of a concussion consist of the following: headache, dizziness, difficulty with memory, sensitive to light and sound, and many more.

“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.

Lucas Maestas is a 17-year-old teenager that has a passion for school and sports. He plans on pursuing a career in neurology or political science. Lucas has had to endure the turmoil of post concussive syndrome the last four years. The first concussion Lucas received was the summer before his eighth grade year. He received three more concussions after that, all taking place in a two-year time frame. Lucas still has symptoms of post concussive syndrome till this day, but has seen improvement with his symptoms. He has really seen an improvement with his overall well-being after going to the Carrick Brain Center in Dallas (There will be a page about his experience at the brain center soon). Lucas

Concussions are a very frightening and dangerous injury. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury in which your brain rattles around in your skull. When you sustain a concussion, your brain may jolt as a result from the impact. This form of brain injury can cause bruising, damage to the blood vessels, and injury to the nerves. Concussions are the most common brain injury. Although concussions are the least serious, they should not be taken lightly. Back in the day, people were unaware of concussions and the symptoms associated with them. As a result, people today especially former athletes are dying from past concussions. (Cantu, R. & Hyman M., 2012) Many people have seen, heard of, or had a concussion and they are relevant to everyone’s life.

When the effects start to affect the body some people think the affects are from anything such as the flu to mono. The after effects of concussions include those of minor/major headaches or migraines, dizziness that you can’t explain pain in your neck, etc. When these things happen one may lose consciousness and may even lose control of their body. It's proven that when concussions occur 80-90% of the time the brain and body will return to regular function as before within 90 days after the occurrence.

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.

The rate of concussion in the US has been rising. There are more than 300,000 sport related concussions in the US every year, University of Pittsburg Brain Trauma Research Center. All parents and coaches should know what concussions are and what they can do to the brain. Signs and symptoms need to be known to help prevent farther complications.

Concussions and their side effects are traumatic to any player of the National Football League, not just at the time of the incident, but symptoms can last a lifetime and can in reality end a career. Results of these concussions not only affect themselves but the people around them including loved ones. “Since 2012 there have been 967 diagnosed concussions, and that includes preseason, regular-season practices plus games and postseason” (CNN 2014). Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), develops after multiple traumatic brain injuries and have led to former players and current to commit suicide. “Junior Seau, 43, a former linebacker shot himself in the chest, former Atlanta safety Ray Easterling, and former Chicago Bears defensive back Dave Duerson commits suicide by gunshot wound to the chest” (CNN 2014). Rather than shoot his head they shot themselves in the chest so that their brain can be used in Concussion and CTE research. Once a player gets a concussion, the likelihood of another increases, so and so forth. However, it is not just a running back or a nose tackle that can get this horrific injury, its anyone, it could be a kicker, a coach on the sideline; anyone that hits the ground too hard, or has head to head contact. Though the National Football League has become aware of this injury over the years and have implemented many protocols, that is not enough. This is a

One thing you need to know is just the general knowledge of concussions. Concussions are called traumatic brain injuries(fourth and inches).Concussions have many symptoms here are some headaches , blackouts, fatigue, and poor balance. Concussions have different effects every time. According to UofMhealth.org “concussions are a stealth injury”. Concussions can be caused by many things.

Many people assume that concussions only affect a person’s cognitive abilities for a couple of weeks. However, a new study proves that the effects of a concussion can last as long as 55 years. The researchers studied the results of two groups: one group of 43 people ages ranging from 18-80 years old, and another group of 20 college students whose average age was 21. Each group contained people who have suffered a concussion and people whom have not experienced a concussion. The study showed that regardless of a person’s age or how long it had been since their last concussion, that people whom have ever suffered a concussion did worse on a test of virtual working memory.