Speech On Concussions

Some patients, however, do experience post-concussion syndrome (PCS) with symptoms lasting longer than expected. Post-concussion syndrome can include physical, cognitive, and emotional problems, including headache, dizziness, difficulty concentrating or completing tasks, irritability, and the sense that you “just don’t feel like yourself”.

Several doctors testified to links they have found between sports head trauma and later cognitive degeneration. Dr. Ann McKee, who has studied the brains of football players after death, testified that she believed the connection was clear and called for immediate changes to the game and concussion treatment.

According to research published by Boston University 87 out of 91 former NFL players tested positive for CTE or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy those 87 had suffered at least 3 concussions during their career.

While examining his brain, they found the first case of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) in a football player (Ezell). Dr. Omalu continued into the brains of football players. He diagnost another player with CTE. After that, two other doctors connect concussions to dementia. Dr. Bailes and Dr. Guskiewicz wrote, “that the onset of dementia-related syndromes may be initiated by repetitive cerebral concussions in professional football players” (Ezell). This was the first major finding connecting football to brain injuries.

A concussion is when you go unconsciousness for a little while caused by a blow to the head. The term is also used loosely of the after effects such as confusion or temporary incapacity. Concussion is are known as a mild brain injury that is a mild brain injury MTBI mild head injury and a little head trauma. Some experts will define a concussion as a head injury with temporary loss of brain function which can cause some cognitive physical and emotional symptoms. Symptoms may also include headache, confusion, lack of coordination. The term concussion describes an injury to the brain resulting from a hard impact to the head. By definition a concussion is not a life threatening injury but should be treated fast . The use of protective headgear can decrease the risk of a concussion when you are engaging in any of the following activities Contact martial arts sports such as boxing, karate, and others Football. Most post concussion symptoms such as headaches, sensitivity to noise and light, dizziness, fatigue and memory problems go away with about seven to ten days after the injury but sometimes post concussion symptoms can last up to about 3 months. Rarely do symptoms last longer. What can you do when you have a concussion? Some people who have had a concussion find that at first it

A concussion is a complex series of trauma that affects the brain. They can be caused by a direct blow to the brain or an indirect hit directed to someone’s body. Some of the symptoms are brain related such as headaches, memory loss, and nausea. Headaches and dizziness are the leading reported symptoms of a brain injury. Concussions can have symptoms affecting a person’s emotions like sadness and drowsiness. Researchers have concluded after studies that athletes who receive one concussion are one-two times more likely to get a second one. The CDC has

every athlete suffers from a form of a concussion at least once in their lives, but the surprising

(Haas) Another way concussions affect your friends is by giving them permanent brain damage. If one person receives a concussion and does not let it properly rest, they are susceptible to severe brain damage with another concussion. In fact, concussions are a leading cause for disabilities for humans under the age of 44? (DoSomething.Org) From experiments, one website has found that there is weird brain wave actions and incorrect use of the motor pathways, leading to attention loss, if you have concussions. (Nordqvist) Also they have found that concussions cause people to have symptoms that are very alike to Parkinson’s disease. (Nordqvist) With these facts and the effects of concussions, you know can see the impact that concussions put on other people.

concussion. Some of the short term dangers may range from a week to a month, while the long

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

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.

The Symptoms of concussions can appear after contact to the head and usually come from playing sports competitively. The most common symptoms of concussion are usually right after contact or few hours afterwards. According to the article Concussion published by the Mayo Clinic accessed on October 11, 2017 they state that symptoms of concussions are headache, loss of consciousness, confusion, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and delayed speech or response. Symptoms usually appear from a few minutes to 4 days after the incident of contact

First, I am going to talk about the science behind concussions, CTE, and why it is such an issue for a football player. Concussions are very damaging to the brain and experiencing a lot of them can lead to CTE. I will also discuss people that influenced the understanding of concussions and CTE. In 2002, a neurologist named Dr. Bennet Omalu tried to tell the NFL about the brain damage he found while doing a former NFL player’s autopsy, but the NFL did not really listen. In 2009, another researcher by the name of Dr. Ann Mckee tried to get the NFL’s attention about her concerns about football players and concussions as well. The NFL once again ignored these assumptions. However, the NFL did listen to Dr. Elliot Pellman, who told the league as early as 1994, that concussions were not a big problem and just part of the game. I will discuss how NFL players were treated when they got their “bell rung” during a big game; and what kind of medical treatment they

Post-concussion syndrome is a complex disorder with symptoms can consist of headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and irritability that can last as little as a week and up to months after a head injury. The causes can be a traumatic blow to the head or neck injuries in which the patient does not have to lose consciousness. The effect of being injured can do permanent damaged to the brain and nervous system. Dealing with Post-concussion syndrome not only can have a physical effect, but a psychological one as well (Mayo clinic page 2).

The number of concussions in professional and amateur football has been rising and has sparked much controversy in recent years. These concussions are most likely linked with disease and even the deaths of some pro and semi-pro football players. New research is attempting to solve the problem but the issue is still prevalent in football today.