Student Athletes: Long-Term Effects Of Concussions

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.

Lastly, having multiple concussions produce long term effects on athletes. This was proven by a study performed that compared athletes with a history of concussions to athletes with no concussion history using a concussion test known as: Immediate Post Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT). This is a computerized test that measures memory capabilities to determine if an athlete has a concussion. It was taken by the athletes prior to their season to find a baseline level. This baseline would then be used to determine if someone has a concussion by comparing it to a post-concussion result of the ImPACT. Every athlete in this study was given the ImPACT test within five days of sustaining a concussion. The results from this

Today, one of the more common injuries in youth sports is a concussion. A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that occurs after a player has either taken a hit to their body that has caused both the head a brain to quickly jerk back and forth, or by a sudden shock or knock to the head. With the force and sudden movement, there is movement of the brain which can cause chemical changes that can lead to permanent or stretching the brain cells. By the above definition you can start to think of many instances in sports where a player can receive a concussion.

Years ago, coaches referred to concussions as “having your bell rung” and were never considered as a serious injury. Athletes would simply skip a play and would be back in the game in no time. Concussions now have been linked to life-threatening injuries in many athletes. Today, concussions are the most common football injury by young athletes and are becoming more frequent each year. Coaches, players, trainers, physicians and parents need to take better precautions when dealing with concussions and with their help concussions will not be as life threatening as they are today. Today, the NFL and sports teams across the United States are sitting up and paying more attention to the medical profession when it comes to concussions. Concussions are dangerous, cause permanent damage to a person’s physiological state, and can lead to death. Multiple concussions suffered by athletes lead to long-term psychological problems.

Stated in Excerpt 3, "The effects of repeated concussions can be cumulative, and after a concussion, there is a period in which the brain is particularly vulnerable to further injury. If an athlete sustains a second concussion during this period the risk of permanent brain injury increase significantly and the consequences of a seemingly mild second concussion can be very severe, and even result in death." That shows that if you go back in the game not fully recovered, or in that period, and end up injuring yourself again, you could have chances of having more severe symptoms and could even die. That I why concussions should be taken seriously because if you don't take care of it with a proper amount of time then you could potentially die, which most likely no one would want. In Excerpt 4, it states "Recent studies of high school and collegiate athletes have shown that girls and women suffer from concussions at higher rates than boys and men in similar sports, often significantly higher.". This is due to girls having weaker necks, but either way, you should still be cautious when having a concussion because it could effect you later in

Athletes with head trauma should be required to sit out of the game until their head is fully healed. Although a medical professional signs a paper allowing them to go back into the game, they should not take advantage of that by starting right away. After concussions, teenage athletes should take it easy so their brain has the proper time it needs to heal. Concussions are a serious injury. They can have long lasting impacts and are more likely to reoccur during the same season. In contrast, in order for athletes to return to the game, a doctor has to sign forms allowing them to do so. Doctors are licensed professionals, so the athlete's head injury can't be too severe if they are able to play again. In addition, new equipment that helps prevent concussions is being created.

Concussions are becoming more and more common in professional athletes. Concussions can weaken a team, take athletes out of games, and even end athletic careers. They can also cause permanent disabilities and disease that cannot be cured. Professional sports leagues/organizations are receiving lawsuits and complaints about the growing amount of head injuries. Many athletes and fans want organizations such as the NFL or NHL to make rule changes to prevent concussions. Football being one of the leading causes of concussions, along with women 's soccer and men 's hockey, the NFL is often the target of complaints and lawsuits

Although concussions are very serious, if the athlete allows an appropriate amount of time and does not come back prematurely then they will be okay (Excerpt 3). Often times, coaches and players don't pay much attention to a huge collision especially in the sport of football because it's not uncommon. Concussions can sometimes slip through and are defined as "invisible" (Excerpt 2). The effects of repeated concussions can be cumulative, and the brain is very vulnerable after injury (Excerpt 3). High school athletes have a higher chance of being concussed again if they have already been concussed once before. Sometimes a player's will comes into play when suffering an injury. Players often play down an injury but with something as serious as concussion, it can be very difficult to do this. There are laws that have to be followed when a player possibly has a concussion and it all depends if there is a medical professional field-side. As long as enough time is allowed for a player to come back, then there should be no problems with suffering a concussion as long as they handled it

Concussions can cause long term effects if not treated properly. A player can recover from a concussion in a few weeks, but the lasting effects of a concussions still prove relevant. Retired players that have suffered from concussions during their careers and were not treated properly felt the long-term effects of sustaining head injuries that caused many to commit suicide, which has led to the NFL investigating their concussion protocol to keep the players safe. As the NFL uses its lead doctors to investigate and understand more about the brain it will lead to gains in the safety of athletes

The sports communities that require concussion education include the players themselves; their parents, the coaches, trainers, therapists, and referees; sports organizations/leagues; the media; teachers; and health care professionals. Several gains in recognition and management that impact upon concussion prevention can only be made through widespread of knowledge about concussions. Concussions are a serious issue in many professional sports. Concussions affect multiple sports in many ways. Many sports today are affected by the medical condition of concussions. Today, multiple leagues and professionals are learning how to prepare and prevent these career shattering injuries. With hundreds of medical advancements and a better understanding of the knowledge that the science has, we are assisting athletes to recover from these injuries. In order to understand concussions that lead the role on the games, one must look at the symptoms, injuries, and side-effects of this

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.

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 while playing football are becoming more common as the ages progress. Coaches teach their players proper form tackling and not to drop your head while hitting a defender. However, many players use the top of their heads in a spear like form to tackle their opponent, causing a large blow directly to the tacklers head. Helmets cannot protect against all of the impact force from the blow, although it takes away most. The remaining force of the blow is concentrated right toward the individual’s head, which can cause a slight concussion. But as the game goes on, the individual continues to drop their head and take repetitive blows, leaving the player concussed. Sometimes it only takes one hit to become concussed depending on the impact of the

(Frey 237) Not all concussions are the same, they range in seriousness. They are not all the horrific knockouts seen in mma,boxing,or football. They can be much less noticeable but having even one not so serious concussions means the athlete is 4 times more likely to receive another one if not healed properly. When a concussion happens the player can feel multiple symptoms varying from unconscious to dizziness and anything inbetween. Athletes are usually only affected for short periods of time but can last months if the concussion is severe enough. Rebecca frey describes treatments of concussions,t including rest in dark space and some over the counter ibuprofen. (Frey 238) More serious injuries can require hospital stays also many athletes can not return to the sport for weeks although this can cause more issues in the classroom where the athlete might miss days of school also have to limit class load because this causes stress on the brain. Concussions happen often in football because of the helmet to helmet contact between player but some player see this as part of the game and not as a danger to players . Jim Baumbach an investigative reporter for Newsday interviewed retired players on injuries and other pieces of the game. This list of players includes former linebacker Chad Brown who relayed “There was

Concussions can occur on any play in football, two opponents could hit each other with their helmets or an opponent could tackle the other. Effects of concussions can be long term some of the long term effect are; headache, dizziness, difficulty concentrating or completing tasks (“Long-Term”). These are just a few of the long term effects the most dangerous effect is chronic traumatic encephalopathy. CTE is a progressive degenerative disease which affects the brain of people who have suffered repeated concussions and traumatic brain injuries (“What Is CTE”). The most common effects of CTE include loss of memory, difficulty controlling erratic behavior, behavioral disturbances including aggression and depression and difficulty with