The Effects Of Concussions On The Brain

Nathaniel Vinton. “Concussions are on the rise in the NFL: League releases data that shows 58% increase in regular season concussions” New York Daily News, 30 January 2015. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/concussions-rise-nfl-league-data-reveals-article-1.2513828

two concussions, then a third is 2-4 times more likely, and if they 've had three concussions, then

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

A concussion, which could be caused by a small head movement, is no minor issue as it could lead to brain trauma. Many people are affected by it and many more are vulnerable to it. But the impact isn't the real issue. The real issue is with the lack of healing and recovery. Healing time is crucial when it comes to head injuries and, according to the CDC, most athletes get around 7 days to recover compared to the recommended 1-2 months! Athletes sometimes don't even get time to recover and this could lead to long term effects in life. According to my personal experience, my ability to focus has been greatly reduced because of a concussion. This is a serious issue that is often overlooked my coaches and parents because of their pride and overconfidence in the child. Due to the fact that concussions could lead to permanent brain damage, discomfort, and long term illness, student athletes should be excluded from any athletics until a full recovery had been accomplished.

In the U.S. alone, athletes suffer from roughly 300,000 concussions per year; 3,800,000 concussions were reported in 2012, which is double of what was reported in 2002. A concussion may be defined as a type of 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. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, stretching and damaging the brain cells and creating chemical changes in the brain. Concussions are not usually considered life-threatening, but they may result in effects to the brain that may lead to devastating outcomes. Concussions are serious injuries that need to be taken seriously because of their severity and the serious health disorders that may arise.

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.

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.

Concussions are injuries to the brain that can be caused by any significant blunt force trauma to the head such as a fall, car accident, being struck on the head with an object, or sports injury. Sports are second only to motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of traumatic brain injury particularly among people who are 15 to 24 years old (Solomon, 2006). Pediatric physicians care for a significant number of patients who are involved in sport-related activities in schools or clubs, however most sport-related concussions are never diagnosed because young athletes may not recognize or report the symptoms of a concussion. It is important for physicians to know that although concussions are the most minor of traumatic brain injuries, if not detected and managed properly, they can lead to more serious short-term and long-term issues.

Athletes around the world come together every day to compete and with competition comes injuries. Athletic trainers are typically the first responders to assist the athletes and provide diagnoses and treatment. Although injuries are always going to happen the main responsibility of an athletic trainer is to prevent them from happening. There are a wide range of possible injuries in which an athlete can get into, concussions are one of the most common types of injuries during sporting activities. As a matter of fact, concussions occur at a rate of 1.6 to 3.8 million per year during sporting activities (Broglio). However, these figures fall short as there are many concussion injuries, which are unreported by either athletes or coaches and often

Concussions and their side effects are traumatic to any player of the National Football League, not just at the time of the incident, but symptoms can last a lifetime and can in reality end a career. Results of these concussions not only affect themselves but the people around them including loved ones. “Since 2012 there have been 967 diagnosed concussions, and that includes preseason, regular-season practices plus games and postseason” (CNN 2014). Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), develops after multiple traumatic brain injuries and have led to former players and current to commit suicide. “Junior Seau, 43, a former linebacker shot himself in the chest, former Atlanta safety Ray Easterling, and former Chicago Bears defensive back Dave Duerson commits suicide by gunshot wound to the chest” (CNN 2014). Rather than shoot his head they shot themselves in the chest so that their brain can be used in Concussion and CTE research. Once a player gets a concussion, the likelihood of another increases, so and so forth. However, it is not just a running back or a nose tackle that can get this horrific injury, its anyone, it could be a kicker, a coach on the sideline; anyone that hits the ground too hard, or has head to head contact. Though the National Football League has become aware of this injury over the years and have implemented many protocols, that is not enough. This is a

This experiment is a descriptive research study that was used to see the amount of knowledge and amount of education college coaches have been given on the topic of Concussions. To see if coaches know the signs and symptoms of a concussion, how to identify if an athlete has concussion symptoms and if the coaches know the recovery protocol for an athlete to return to play. For this experiment, 28,183 coaches of division l, ll, and lll, colleges all over the country were sent an email asking to participate in this study to see how much knowledge and education they have on concussions. This lead to some limitations because they can only do the study on the coaches that choose to participate. But of those 28183 asked, 1818 coaches responded

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

Brain trauma is extremely dangerous and in some cases fatal. It is imperative for anyone participating in sports to learn the signs and symptoms of a concussion as well as the long-term effects. Educating the youth of these consequences will teach them that it is key to abstain from high intensity, contact sports until completely healed to ensure their best possible health. Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you

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.

The phrase concussion details an injury to the brain occur from an shock to the head from someone(Cunha 1). A calm concussion can affect a loss of awareness feeling dazed or a actual terse loss of consciousness from taking a blow to the head or being knocked down(Cunha 2). A harsh concussion can affect delayed loss of consciousness. A concussion outcome starting with a head shot that is close is a type of injury and do not consist of trauma when there is bleeding in the skull under it(Stoppler 3).