Medical Case Study: Immediate Care

Every year thousands of athletes are effected by the sports-related concussions. There are three types of concussions, they are classified as grades which is a special term medical professionals use to classify the severity of a traumatic brain injury. Grade 1 concussions are minute in terms of the severity of damage to the athlete’s brain. This is when there are in a brief daze, slight headache, and their head sometimes rings. (Cunha 581-585). The grade 2 concussions are the moderate concussions were an athlete completely fades to black, there’s no seeing anything, and they don’t know their location, name and various other important pieces of information (Cunha 581-585). Last, we have the grade 3 concussion which is the most severe, and

To explain, athletes should sit out to heal longer because it would allow for a second concussion to be avoided and relieve the long and short term effects of the head trauma. In article three it states how concussions are extremely difficult to diagnose and that if they are not treated immediately and healed correctly the symptoms could result in permanent damage to the brain. This fact alone is reason enough for athletes to wait until their head is healed. Articles two and three explain the long term and short

If an athlete was to be impacted on the head on the playing field and was to gain a concussion they should sit out until they are able to fully recover. During the time period after one concussion athletes are more vulnerable to gain another. If a player were to get another concussion during this time period, permanent brain damage may be evident in the future. Also, If the player doesn't let their concussion heal properly it may lead to permanent brain damage in the future.

They are able to identity any suspected signs of concussions right away. (Broglio, 2008) Due to the numerous medical advancements, researchers have been able to understand what concussions are and the course of their recovery. This has dramatically improved the understanding of what a concussion is and how it affects the person. For example, the features of a concussion and the typical recovery. With all of the sports-related injuries, athletes have become the prime interest for researchers, specifically concussions. Sports-related concussions, or SRC, have researcher’s interest. They are looking for what acute injury factors and individual characteristics occur post concussive recovery. The researchers measured on the Glasgow Coma Scale, or GCS, it is very well known for its system with classifying TBI severity during an acute period. It was originally developed to assess a patient’s level of consciousness, using rating of eye, motor, and verbal responses. Researchers have found the following signs and symptoms of concussions. Observable features of altered mental status include: vacant stare, delayed verbal and motor responses, confusion or inability to focus attention, disorientation, slurred or incoherent speech, gross observable

Signs of a concussion include alteration of the individuals mental state, loss of consciousness, and in some cases convulsive movements may occur (P. McCrory et al., 2013; Silver et al., 2011). There are also symptoms that may be seen after some time has passed after the initial impact, such as behavioral changes, impaired cognitive

In many sports their are often lots of injuries and that goes no different for sports like football, soccer, or baseball. In some of those sports head injuries are often reported, and these injuries usually involve some sort of brain trauma or a concussion. Article 2 says that a concussion is a head trauma induced alteration in mental statues that may or may not result in loss of concussioness. An athlete with a recent concussion injury should be given a few weeks to rest before going back into the game, and if they feel well enough they can go back in. During these weeks they should be resting enough so that their head can heal from whatever injury they got. Most likely after a few weeks they should feel better, and as long as a physician says they're fine to go back they should be able to go back.

In opposition, the symptoms of a concussion usually resolve quickly. This does not mean that players should go out on to the field immediately after their symptoms subside.

Some may argue that athletes should be let back in the game at least thirty minutes after the concussion occurs. This may help the team win the game. But that is very dangerous, and could lead to even worse injuries than before. A concussion is a brain injury characterized by an impairment of physical functioning, and is usually caused by a blow to the head, face, or neck. According to article one, high school students are more vulnerable to have a second concussion after the first one occurs because of their lack of brain development. The immaturity of an adolescent's nervous system can also prevent them from realizing they're even having a concussion. Multiple objective terms are used by some coaches (such as a "ding" to the head,) to make an athlete and their family assume a concussion is minor compared to other injuries^. After a concussion; athletes can experience headaches, memory loss, and depression; which is not the best thing for their academic standing. These symptoms can last up to six weeks^. Some athletes even lose consciousness several times after having a concussion, which is not looked over. Students have been taken out of

Essentially, most doctors and coaches believed being considered fully recovered from a concussion is when the person has no more symptoms, has passed several tests, and or been cleared by a doctor. The higher percent of those surveyed believed that there is no specific time which an athlete needs to sit out, just until symptoms resolved. Specifically some stated that at Warsaw Central Middle/High School’s protocol requires athletes must be cleared by a doctor, then pass an ImPACT test, and be phased back into activity. Being phased back into activity means gradually returning to playing a sport under supervision. Variables for recovery were noted as; severity of injury, age, pre-existing medical conditions, length of time before seeking

If a player has suffered a head injury and concussion is suspected, the medical team can pull him off the field for 10 minutes and take him through a range of tests — such as memory, orientation and balance — which will accurately assess whether or not he has indeed been concussed. If he passes, he can go back onto the

The assessment of a concussion or a collapsed athlete “typically begins with an acute evaluation on the field, followed by a sideline or locker room evaluation” (Echemendia, 2012, p. 215). The first step that needs to be made whilst assessing a collapsed athlete is to thoroughly investigate his/her airway, breathing and heart function and to identify any life threatening conditions. This step should be followed by a precautious physical evaluation of the cervical spine. If the athlete is suffering with a cervical spine injury, immediate transfer to the emergency department must follow (Harmon, 2013, p. 6). Once life-threatening signs have been excluded, the players must be excused from play immediately and a sideline assessment must take place.

Even if one feels fine, they should still see a doctor. It is important to note that head injury symptoms may not show up right away. Doctors can perform imaging tests in order to determine the severity of the injury. They may also stabilize the patient in order to prevent further injury. Additionally, half of patients who have suffered a severe brain injury will require an attorney.

A mandatory aspect when managing patients is to provide a provisional diagnosis illustrating, diagnostic uncertainty. Analysis of the mechanism and pattern of injury give an understanding of obvious, underlying and life threatening traumatic injuries, whilst vital signs and patient presentation allow for a firm diagnosis. Once diagnosed, an understanding of the pathophysiological processes, of a particular condition is essential for adequate treatment. The pathophysiological implications provide a detailed understanding of the immediate and possible long term prognosis.

Some common symptoms to watch for if you suspect that there may have been an impact to the head.

After a injury occurs a primary survey should be done. The level of consciousness should be assessed, this will determine the next step. If the patient is unconscious, the spine should be stabilized. The patient should be checked for responsiveness, airway breathing, circulation, shock, and profuse breeding. While checking for these, emergency services should be contacted. If the patient was conscious after the primary survey, a secondary survey (responsiveness, airway breathing, circulation, shock, and profuse breeding) should be done. Provider should then check vital signs. history and musculoskeletal evaluation. From here, consider what treatment it is needed and decide transportation.