Professor Angela Weaver
English 1120
11 October 2015
Audience: Ohio Department of Education
The Consequences of a Concussion in High School
Almost everyone who has played on a sports team at some point in their life can say they sustained an injury at one point or another. Sometimes these injuries are completely unpreventable and the only thing that can be done is being more aware of that certain injury. Concussions in high school sports is a prime example. This because the potential negative effects of a concussion can be life altering. The effects of sustaining a concussion during high school can be worse than sustaining one in college or in professional sport because that is most crucial time in the brains growth.
The problem is how concussions are being treated. There are things being done to treat them, but I do not believe there is enough being done. “Most such laws specify that athletes suspected of having sustained a sport-related concussion be removed from play” (Hanson, Stracciolini, Mannix, and Meehan 1225). A majority of the time the student/athlete will continue to attend school during their recovery, which, is usually a short period of 7 days. That is where the problem rises. During those 7 crucial days of recovery the student is usually still symptomatic and the conditions have the possibility of worsening since they are still using their brain. They may also fall behind in school due to their symptoms limiting their ability to function in class
Concussions are a very serious involving contact sports. High school athletes are more likely to receive a brain injury than an older athlete. After receiving a concussion or any type of brain damage athletes should be required to sit out for a longer period of time.
The short-term symptoms and effects that occurs after a concussion has happen are headaches and dizziness, they began to occur due to the pressure that is being put to the players head. Headaches and dizziness are the most common symptoms experienced from concussions. Although the symptoms may seem so simple and harmless it can cause a brain trauma and effect the player in the long run. Furthermore they begin to feel confusion, lack of coordination, and memory loss appearing to be stunned or dazed. When that began to occur it’s the tau protein that is building up causing it to take over the body's emotion and movement. The substantial impacts such as the long-term effects are still being studied but are very rare in most cases
It is terrifying to think of "the head rapidly rotates from one side to another causing shearing and straining of brain tissues", but even worst is staring at the medical bill. Since the brain is a three pound organ that basically floats inside your head. When one sustains a tackle, the brain rattles inside the skull; resulting in a neurological disturbance. According to a former patient that suffered a concussion, “Emergency room visit: $1,664; CT scan: $1,462; MRI: $3,665; Hospital stay: $34,030”; with a total cost of $48,021, a concussion is not worth it.
On November 6th, 1869 the young American sport called football was born. In 1903, the addition of the football helmet was introduced; however, the helmet was not mandatory for all players until 1943 (“History of the”). Since the mandatory protocol for the use of helmets, the football helmet has advanced in safety. The helmet evolved from a plastic shell-shaped helmet to a more protective rounded plastic helmet with a face mask and chin strap. After those improvements, the modifications for safety increased. Today, professional football players have impact indicators on their chin straps to identify head injuries. As players have gotten bigger and stronger, head injury awareness is a major part of player’s safety and if they are not aware, it often results in a concussion. Many players and viewers of the game do not know how concussions occur, what the effects are, and how engineers and associations try to prevent the occurrence.
Recently, an enormous amount of attention has been given to the long-term effects caused by a concussion. Despite the fact that the understanding and awareness as to the severity of this traumatic brain injury (TBI) has greatly improved, concussions are commonly disregarded, undiagnosed and/or under-treated. Unlike an external injury that is easily seen, a concussion is an internal brain injury; therefore, without the use of diagnostic imaging, the concussion itself is invisible. However, symptoms can be helpful in diagnosing a concussion when diagnostic imaging is not readily available.
In the sports world today, there are many different injuries that athletes experience and one of the most devastating injury is a concussion. Concussions can happen to anyone, in any sport, but we tend to see most concussions in contact sports (Świerzewski 1). While having an informal conversation with my dad about football, he told me it was common for athletes to receive a head injury in a game and continue to play as if nothing was wrong. While watching SportsCenter, I found that some of the greatest retired athletes don’t remember the best moments of their careers due to the lack of treatment. The worst aspect of concussions is that the symptoms can be delayed; in some cases, it’s only a headache so athletes don’t seek medical treatment. Multiple concussions over time can lead to life-threatening complications due to the damage they cause to the brain. Concussions can happen to anybody at anytime, but there is more to concussions than meets the eye.
I agree with your comments on educating the athletes as well as parents on the dangers of concussions. Understanding the concept of a concussions may help parents to prevent athletes from reaping fatal consequences. Consulting with physician should be priority so athletes can acquire the proper amount of rest. Often athletes fear sitting out therefore confessing symptom of concussion is uncommon. That’s were parents come to play by protecting their children from enduring further incidents. Unfortunately, your statement is true “A player with a broken bone would not be sent out on the field the week before his cast came off.” However concussions are more severe than broken bones and should not be taken lightly.
If concussions are related to permanent brain damage, then the amount of time spent in recovery should be increased, as supplying ample amount of time will provide reassurance that the brain has healed for athletes who recover quickly and for athletes who naturally need more time to recover.
two concussions, then a third is 2-4 times more likely, and if they 've had three concussions, then
The problem with concussions are that not everybody takes them serious enough. Some people like football players will just blow it off. After taking a big hit and barely being able to get to the sidelines they will be right back in the game on the next possession. Others like coaches might not take a player’s concussion serious because they know without that player they might not be able to win thus putting the players long term health into effect. Concussions are very devastating and cause many people future problems no matter what some doctors say.
Concussions are complex cerebral injuries that result in a series of metabolic events within the brain. The changes are seen in the fragile neuronal homeostatic balances where changes in the elevations of glutamate and potassium have been identified. The effects of concussions have also been seen in the functioning of the brain rather than in the structure of the brain itself. Being identified as mild traumatic brain injuries, occurring due to a bump or jolt to head or neck, concussions can result in both short-term and long-term effects. Although most individuals are able to recover from these head injuries, a small but relevant portion of individuals have been found to suffer from chronic long-term effects including early onsets of Alzheimer disease, clinical depression and other cognitive complications. The occurrence of a secondary concussion during the recovery phase of a primary concussion, also recognized as the second impact syndrome, has been shown to increase the risk for long-term effects of cerebral and neurological failure as the neurons have become incapable of experiencing normal functions after an initial traumatic brain injury. The recoveries from these initial concussions are critical to prevent the onset of long-term effects.
Picture a college size stadium filled with parents, students, and fans. Overflowing with crisp fall air and trembling with excitement for kickoff of a high school football game. The whistle blows, ball is kicked , the sound of pads and helmets colliding. But then the second whistle blows and you see your teammate lying on the ground unconscious. Now nothing but that white jersey laying motionless on the turf matters to you. Trainers then EMT’s rush over. They put a brace on his neck, his body on a stretcher and rush him off the field. These are the types of hits apparent in high school age football. Now double the size and speed of that impact. Concussions happen in almost every sport but not in the same severity
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
Concussions are currently one of the most debated, studied and controversial subjects among all levels of athletics. This dangerous brain condition has only been properly studied and monitored for a brief period of time, and until recently, the dangerous side effects of concussions were not among the public eye. Issues such as dementia, migraines and depression are among the issues that those who suffer concussions are at risk for. Looking into the culture of athletics, the mindset that is driven into young athletes from an early age all the way throughout their entire athletic career, no matter the level, to see if there is a correlation between the values that they are taught and their history of possible concussions and concussion
Many of the earliest effects that athletes suffer from, after sustaining a concussion are: headaches, stroke, seizures, nausea, vomiting, internal bleeding, and hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in the brain ("Consequences of a Traumatic Brain Injury", 2016). These are all conditions, that an athlete can suffer from within hours or a few days of an initial hit to the head. These conditions range from minor to severe, the most severe being internal bleeding, and hydrocephalus and the minor ones being, nausea and vomiting ("Consequences of a Traumatic Brain Injury", 2016). No matter the severity of the concussion and it’s affects an athlete that has received multiple concussions is more likely to be faced with conditions that are not as noticeable at first, but lead to a life filled with pain and confusion (Brain Concussion Related Diseases & Conditions, 2016). When an athlete has a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), this leads to hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus, may not be apparent when a Traumatic Brain Injury first occurs, but it does occur in the early stages. However a diagnosis may not appear till a year