Diseases Affecting Young Athletes

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.

A concussion, which could be caused by a small head movement, is no minor issue as it could lead to brain trauma. Many people are affected by it and many more are vulnerable to it. But the impact isn't the real issue. The real issue is with the lack of healing and recovery. Healing time is crucial when it comes to head injuries and, according to the CDC, most athletes get around 7 days to recover compared to the recommended 1-2 months! Athletes sometimes don't even get time to recover and this could lead to long term effects in life. According to my personal experience, my ability to focus has been greatly reduced because of a concussion. This is a serious issue that is often overlooked my coaches and parents because of their pride and overconfidence in the child. Due to the fact that concussions could lead to permanent brain damage, discomfort, and long term illness, student athletes should be excluded from any athletics until a full recovery had been accomplished.

First of all, if athletes don't wear protective head gear they can get all sorts of injuries. In source B it states “While the first hit can prove problematic, the second or third head impact can cause permanent long-term brain damage. Cumulative sports concussions are shown to increase the likelihood of catastrophic head injury leading to permanent neurologic disability by 39 percent.”. Concussions can cause long term brain

Multiple studies have shown that concussions can lead to severe, debilitating, and permanent brain damage. With these consequences in mind, athletes should be required to be evaluated by a physician and sit out longer after receiving any sort of head trauma. Studies have also shown that concussions are cumulative. After someone receives one, their brain is more susceptible to further injury.

Concussions have become something every athlete knows and fear. 47% of concussions happen in high school athletics. Without medical attention an untreated concussion can give a person brain damage that will last for the rest of their lives. Whether the athlete is deemed careless for the injury, they have occurred in the first place or the equipment is faulty.

Concussions are rapidly becoming more and more of a concern in sports today. This is especially true in the sport of football, youth, amateur, and professional. What is a concussion? How do they happen? A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that occurs when the head is impacted, hit, struck, or shaken. Inside the skull, this violent movement of the brain is very detrimental to the brain itself. When a concussion occurs the brain literally bounces or twists in the skull causing damage to the brain cells, which in turn cause chemical changes in the brain. These changes make the brain more sensitive to other injuries or stress. All athletes participating in contact sports are at risk

In every sports season 5 to 20 percent of kids suffer a concussion(Jeremy Olson 1SH). A concussion is a type of brain injury that mostly occurs when playing in contact sports. Most people do not think concussions are a big deal but they are. In fact concussions can lead to suicide because they cause your brain to not function correctly, especially when having more than one. Not only can they lead to suicide but they also have many long term effects on the brain. I am sure on television, many viewers have seen big collisions where somebody gets a hard hit to the head. It is most likely that person suffered a concussion. Since concussions occur naturally in

In the interview video “Concussion hazards in youth football” by Dr. Drew and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Dr. Sanjay Gupta states, “ When young kids get a concussion a few times the brain damage can become a long term effect for them.” This quote reveals that these kids that are playing football and getting concussion can have long term effects that can ruin their future and their career. Every year at least 3.8 million concussions occur in sports. That is a large number of people, getting brain damage. After a few concussion your brain takes a little bit longer to heal since it has been hurt many times. These concussion can even lead to fatal

For instance, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is a progressive degenerative disease commonly found in the brains of athletes with a known past of recurring brain distress. The injury ignites a buildup of the abnormal tau protein, causing a progressive worsening of the mental state. Previous recorded cases have shown the location of damage was significant as well as remarkably distinct from other damaged brains. Nonetheless, not all athletes with head injuries are diagnosed with CTE. The symptoms of this disorder are very similar to those of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The most prevalent indicators include impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and impaired judgement. These symptoms usually begin many years after a person’s involvement in athletics.

Short term effects from a concussion can include headaches, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, change in sleep patterns, depression, mood swings, or even memory loss. On the other hand, there are helmets for most sports so if you do get hit in the head the impact is reduced. The only thing about the helmets is that it reduces the impact, the impact isn't taken away. Long term effects of a concussion, however, can include emotional distress, slowing of certain types of movements, and an increase in possibility of suicide. Most families and or coaches have their personal assumptions about a concussion which can't be proven correct until a licensed physician decides the patient is ok to keep playing. It is not always the case that parents decide the athlete is just fine, sometimes it is the athlete themselves. Athletes often have a fear of being removed from the sport or activity so they don't mention their signs and symptoms to avoid being benched or sat out of the game. When someone fails to notice the signs and symptoms of an athlete with a concussion long term symptoms can come into effect which can lead to permanent brain damage and possible

Concussions, the rattling of the brain due to a blow to the head, are frequently occurring in the game of soccer. In the year 2010, more high school soccer players had concussions than basketball, baseball, wrestling and softball players combined (Chemi 5). Concussions occur from a players head being struck with a ball, contact with another player, goal post or any other cause of the shaking of the brain. According to a study done for concussions associated with soccer players in 2007, 67.7% of reported concussions are from player contact(Bain 7). Overall, soccer is a physical sport, especially at higher levels. Basically, concussions are bound to happen. According to Broglio, a soccer athlete sustains 2,000 blows to the head from heading a ball in a 300 game career(2). This only includes game situations not practices. The impact from the ball causes the brain to shake back and forth hitting against the interior of your skull. The sudden movement of the brain causes cells to stretch and tear, altering the balance between certain functions in the brain that are needed in order to efficiently function (Science 5). Once the head is struck the cells must spring into action in order to return to the effective chemical state (Science 5). This causes the cell and brain to be in a stressful state, leaving it struggling to function in an orderly manner or in some cases,

First off, concussions are becoming more common. Over the years, concussions have more common among young athletes. According to James A. Jagger, an orthopedic surgeon, “Over the 11-year study period, the number of [concussions] doubled for boys and tripled for girls. The study authors speculated that bigger stronger players may account for the dramatic increase of [concussions] among girls.” Because bigger stronger players are playing, concussions are becoming more common. Concussions have also increased by 70%, and at the same time, there has been a drop in others injuries, such as strains, sprains, and lacerations. Which makes it more likely for the players to get a concussions, which is why refs, players, parents, and coaches need to be aware of the symptoms, because if another hit to the head occurs, it can lead to life threatening brain swelling, or permanent nerve damage. Because concussions are becoming more common the

What seems to be the topic about athletes these days is that once you get a concussion or if you have had one it's safer for you to wait longer to jump back into your sport. Researchers have shown that getting a concussion could lead to brain damage. Imagine playing while you have one and getting hit in the head, again, that brain damage could turn into long term health problems. Once you have had a concussion it's proved that it's easier to get another one. Family, doctors, and teammates all think that your health is more important.

Sports concussions are a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that can have long-term neurologic sequelae. Sports concussions have an estimated incidence of 3.8 million per year in the U.S. which represents a significant public health issue[2]. Approximately 50% of sports concussions may be unreported. As such, the public health implications of sports concussions are significantly underestimated. Sports concussions may occur from any sport and are more common in high impact contact sports such as ice hockey, American football, boxing and soccer[3].

“Athletic trainers agree that a challenge in keeping student-athletes healthy is the proliferation of club sports, competitive travel teams and leagues that give kids more playing time around the year” (Nicholson 36). Being a student-athlete for about ten years playing football, basketball, soccer, running track and many other sports. I’ve seen a lot of injuries from turf toe to someone’s eye being popped out of socket to the worst concussion a person can get. Being hurt with any type of injury is bad for anyone, but being hurt without a player knowing is very bad. What I’m talking about is concussions, a very dangerous and harmful injury that could cause serious head trauma and could even cause death.