Sport Related Concussions Essay

Recreational athletes, competitive athletes, high school athletes, college athletes, and professional athletes all have one thing in common: the risk of a concussion. It's impossible to go a season without one athlete from a team receiving a concussion. The more that these concussions are studied, the more we learn about them, such as their detrimental effects on athletes. Because of the risk of health issues and death that come with concussions, doctors, coaches, athletic trainers, and lawmakers are stepping in to protect athletes of all levels from receiving concussions.

Contrary to popular belief, a concussion is not a bruise to the brain caused by hitting a hard surface. Indeed, no physical swelling or bleeding is usually seen on radiological scans. The injury generally occurs when the head either accelerates rapidly and then is stopped, or is spun rapidly.

Concussions are a rising issue in the daily life of many athletes in the sports of hockey, soccer, football, and skateboarding. Every 21 seconds, someone in this country encounters a brain injury. Concussions are brain injuries caused by jolts or hard hits around the head. When the tissue of the brain slams against the strong, thick skull in your head, a concussion is very common. This leads to either swelling of the brain, “torn blood vessels, or injury to the nerves.” (Haas) Eventually, the result will be immediate, delayed, or even permanent loss of your own brain. In the next four paragraphs, I will describe to you how a concussion is important to you and others, what the world can do to stop this issue, and what you can do to prevent

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 can have severe effects on an athlete. They can lead depression, memory loss, and event death. However, with growing research, it is possible to take preventative measures, identify the likelihood of a concussion and engage in treatment. Undiagnosed concussions can lead to more severe injuries and athletes should be concerned about, aware of them and treat them. With new technology, greater awareness, and growing acceptance that concern should be less on winning a game than preventing and treating a concussion, it is possible that one day, concussions may be a rare thing of the

Sports-related concussions might just be the biggest worry for any athlete at any level. A concussion is a thing that every athlete battles over time. Everyone knows that injuries are given when it comes to sports. Especially concussions which can put an athlete out for weeks or even forever. Many student-athletes have been a great issue that can easily be resolved from thorough and informative Training. Concussions can prevent or reduced if we are if we go through concussion prevention training in high school, which is usually the starting point for most athletes. Concussion training can help athletes diagnose a concussion, treat a concussion, and to even use proper technique to prevent and minimize sports caused a concussion. Even though every athlete does not experience a concussion many people can benefit from the training that could save a life.

Concussions are not always easy to define because they can vary in so many ways and because it is rare for any two concussions to be the exact same. Because of the inconsistency and irregularity, athletes are often allowed back into play before it is known if they have a concussion or how severe it is. In “Causes and Consequences of Sports Concussion,” Edwards and Bodle state, “The Consensus Statement of the Third International Congress on Concussion in Sport…defined concussion as a ‘complex pathophysiologic process affecting the brain, induced by traumatic biochemical forces’” (128). They also share that definitions of concussion differ between professional organizations, but share common characteristics: “trauma affecting the head or body resulting in transient neurologic deficits or symptoms” (Edwards and Bodle

Concussions are a problem that nearly all athletes competing in a contact sport will go through. Whether it be boxers, hockey players, skateboarders, or football players, most can usually recognize a concussion. Some say they “See Lights,” or “Hear Ringing,” with over 3000,000 concussions happening in football yearly, concussions can also occur in sports such as gymnastics, cycling, and even martial arts. A concussion by definition is a traumatic brain injury caused by a blow to one’s head by either a fall, bump, or other injury that results in the shaking of the brain within the skull. It is important to understand what a concussion is, so you can prevent possible long term affects to one’s cognitive

Organized sports have been a quintessential part of American society for generations. Many young boys and girls grow up watching and rooting for their family’s favorite sports team, which typically turns into their favorite. These professional sports players become role-models for these young girls and boys, guiding them into asking their parents if they can join a sports team. Football, for instance, has numerous young athletes playing the often aggressive, sport. Through this influence these children strive to become like the athletes they see on television. The big trending topic that is surrounding football today is concussions and other head injuries. Retired professional National Football League (NFL) players are currently suing the

Studies like the study at Virginia Tech can be used to identify the root cause of consussions and may in result, lead to a solution to the mass head trauma experienced by youth and even professional players. Because concussions occur so often in football, it is a suitable ground sero for the research on consussions in sports. It can lead to better medical diagnosis on the field where spli-second decisions are made and even in domestic cases. I addition, because concussions are a very misunderstood injury, this research is needed. The study wishes to develop a better helmet for football specifically but sports like hoccer could be benefitted too. The general knowledge of concussions would expand if more advanced and specific studies like these

During the investigation of the epidemiology of concussions, they compared high school and college athletes. They found approximately 300,000 sports related brain injuries happens yearly in the United States, which is the second leading cause of brain injuries for ages 15 to 24. The sample included 100 high schools and 180 colleges and the data calculated rates, described patterns, and likely risk factors for athletes.

Despite increasing awareness of sports related head injury, controversy and confusion persist, especially in regards to concussions. Prior to the introduction of CAT Scan technology, concussions were often misdiagnosed and overlooked. However, this technology has not yet met its full potential in terms of identifying and treating concussions in the early stages. This can likely be attributed to the stigma surrounding concussions, deeming it an injury that is not serious as the injury is internal or “hidden”. As a result, athletes are more reluctant to report head injuries. Sports related head impacts can cause changes in the brain even when there are no outward signs of a concussion. Untreated, this “hidden injury” can lead to changes in brain

The movie Concussion demonstrated increased awareness of the risks associated with contact sports. It was not uncommon to hear that a player got their “bell rung” in the early days. Known as the ‘silent injury’ and with mounting pressure to win, whether from the coaching staff, parents, or one’s own self, players often continued to play without regard to their health, and still do today. Athletes who fail to report symptoms of a suspected concussion and continue to play can have detrimental consequences to their health. The timing of repeated injuries has been shown to have significant consequences on not only the severity of post-concussion pathophysiology, but on the cognitive disturbances that follow.9 These consequences are more pronounced in youth, as their immature brains may be more susceptible to repeat concussion particularly before complete recovery.14 The findings support the current clinical guideline of excising a

Many people think that children recover and bounce back from injuries quicker than adults. As for some injuries this might be true, however not for concussions. Every year thousands of athletes receive sport-related injuries. Concussions and head trauma, for example, are among the most dangerous injuries athletes receive. One might say that a concussion is like any other injury and not that big of a deal. However, these concussions can lead to something more serious such as ALS. ALS is a disease that affects motor functions of the body and has had links to concussions. Concussions also have their ties to CTE’s. CTE’s are four major progressive degenerative diseases that afflict the brain. Recent studies have found that athletes have higher chances of receiving these deadly diseases. Concussions and head trauma are the reasons of the increase in these diseases. It can be argued that life is a risk, therefore, even sports fall under that category, but, an increase in preventative measures can reduce the likelihood of serious head injuries. In

According to a study done by a group of academics in Auckland, New Zealand found that players involved in sports involving extensive body contact at intense speeds, such as club or elite rugby are more susceptible to suffering from concussions than those in non-contact sports (Hume et al., 2017). Concussions are head injuries that occur when the brain undergoes trauma from a hard hit to the skull. Despite popular belief, most concussions do not result in a loss of consciousness, however, the signs of a concussions generally include symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and difficulty concentrating (Purcell et al., 2013), but can also result in permanent brain damage, or even death. Injury prevention for concussions must address issues such as environmental factors,