The Importance Of Concussions At Madera High School

1,085,272 Students participated in high school football in the 2015-2016 school year. In high school football, a study shown that one in fourteen players will suffer from a head injury during their time playing (Burns). Another study shown that students are three times more likely to suffer from any type of injury than any other major sport. High school football is too dangerous of a sport for teenagers who are still growing mentally and physically. Football has and will continue being a very lethal sport for high school students. Not only is high school football lethal, but it takes away from time in the classroom, which means time away from learning. When reviewing the details of football and what it does to students on the field or in the classroom, you will never get a good outcome.

Thesis: Youth and High School football teams are not adequately protected from the danger of concussions and head trauma.

In the world of football, big hits are something that are looked at in a positive light. They are seen as a way of asserting dominance over other players and it is celebrated by teammates. Big hits are a very crucial, almost necessary, part of the game that millions of people gather to watch every Sunday. However, in the past decade, the NFL and other organization have realized that concussions can lead to very serious problems later in life. One of these problems is known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). It is a degenerative brain disease, much like Alzheimer’s, that mainly effects individuals in high contact sports such as boxing or football. Over time, this connection between concussions and CTE has become more common knowledge and more people have started asking the question “do the risks of children playing football outweigh the benefits?”. The answer to this question is yes, football is entirely too violent for children to be playing. According to “Big Hits, Broken Dreams”, one in ten football players gets a concussion, and 35% of players have more than one. The video also states that only 50% of high schools in the United States have a certified athletic trainer on the field (CNN, 2012). If concussions are really a concern for the schools, then why are there not more athletic trainers on staff at these schools to deal with sports injuries? This also forces the public to question these schools even more because if they are willing to cut costs and not hire a

Recent studies in science have concluded that multiple concussion injuries puts the player not only at immediate risk for problems, but long term health effects including memory loss. Even the most experienced player and coach may not have the proper training or education on recognizing or treating concussions. Concussions in sports remain a large problem. According to CDC research, it is believed that as many as 3.8 million concussions occur in youth through college sports. Unfortunately, less than half of these concussions are properly diagnosed and treated. The reason why so many concussions are left undiagnosed is because of lack of education of officials and coaches, and understanding of the long term effects.

In sports, the best athletes are the individuals that give each team a chance to win every game. The bad news for the best athletes is that sometimes their health gets put second to their abilities. Roughly 1.8 to 3.6 million sports related concussions happen each year (Concussion Statistics). Stronger and faster athletes as well as more impact of the hits or falls have doubled the number of concussions in a decade (Concussion Statistics). Concussions can happen to every athlete, but when it happens to the star athletes, it is different. Schools have to follow direct concussion safety laws, but professional sports have more leniencies (Get). Wins are more important in the professional leagues compared to the high school and amateur levels.

Developing brains can be affected more severely and seriously when students get a concussion due to the fact that the mind is still growing and learning new things everyday. According to the article, Virginia Board of Education Guidelines for Policies on Concussions in Student Athletes, concussions can happen with or without loss of consciousness and they can also be very difficult to diagnose in teens and adults alike. Permanent brain injury and damage can occur if concussions go undiagnosed and without treatment. Teen concussion symptoms differ greatly from adult symptoms, considering teen brains and central nervous systems are still developing and the symptoms tend to be

Concussions have become a major controversy in the United States. Because of uninformed students and negligent coaches, many student athletes are experiencing the severe complications that accompany the injury. High school athletes seem to be the most affected and for this reason are more vulnerable than other students to experience concussions. Not properly managing concussions in time could have significant and problematic injuries that could potentially effect the victims overall ability to live a healthy life. For this reason, athletes should have to stay out of any physical activity for the necessary time to allow their brain to properly heal.

The Improvement in equipment has greatly decreased the cause of brain injury in high school sports. Now, in 2017, we have equipment far superior to even ten years ago. Also, now have a better medical understanding

In 2015, a movie starring Will Smith as a doctor named Bennett Omalu who is researching how a former football player died when he discovered a brain disorder that is related to Alzheimer’s disease and attempted to warn people about the head-related dangers of football. This nonfiction movie is about just the beginning of the football concussion problems, but the problems still exist today. All players are at risk, not only professionals, but kids as well. Countless concussions by football players have lead to trauma and even death. Officials in charge of these games need to make the game safer for all players and better equipment is required or football may go extinct in the future.

I believe concussion is a bad thing for us because it can lead into brain function. I think concussion happen a lot in football because player are getting hit a lot. Concussion has been a bad impact in people life because we are getting hit a lot. Overtime we don’t know why concussion occur only Doctor can tell what happen to concussion. I believe football player get concussion all time because they always hit each other a lot of time. Concussion is worst in America because we get are head hit a lot. There are factor of keep athletes safe from concussion are wearing a helmet, put on knee padded, and also shoulder pad.

Approximately 2 million high school athletes suffer from concussions per year. Of those injured, 500,000 result in doctor’s visits and 300,000 land athletes in the hospital. The biggest concerns with concussions are repeated blows and long-term injuries. SWATA reports that 96% of Americans feel that it is important for youth athletes to be seen by a healthcare professional before returning back to the game, and I am betting that you are one of the majority.

Concussions are serious injuries but they are often overlooked. Even having one concussion can instantly increase the chances of another concussion happening. At the end of the day athletes who receive a concussion need to take time to heal completely before going back out on the field or else it could cause permanent damage that would change their life forever.

Research shows that concussions are likely the result of repetitive hits over time, not just one impact. In a February 2012 study, MRI scans of high school football players showed that the more hits a player sustained, the more the functional capacity of their brain decreased. Typically, professional football players start playing football at a young age, sometimes as early as 6 years old. From that time on, the player is subjected to a number of hits. In boys, brain development peaks at around age 12. A recently published study showed that players who started playing tackle football earlier than the age of 12 suffered from a greater impairment of brain function. The Boston University School of Medicine study tested 42 former NFL football players,

"Concussion: a trauma induced alteration in mental statues that may or may not result in loss of consciousness" (article 2). Your brain is the most important part of your body, when damaged even slightly there can be long term damage. High school students who push themselves and don't mind taking a hard hit, without knowing the true consequences of not being diagnosed and recovered fully.

Dr. Lisa Bakhos of Brown University estimated that the number of teens ages fourteen to nineteen who were treated for concussions rose from about 7,000 in 1997 to nearly 23,000 in 2007.” (Concussions) The center for disease control and prevent says that as of 2014 about 3.8 million sports concussion happen the the united states each year. Teens involved in high school sports are getting more and more concussion. The thing that needs to change is when a high school student gets hurt or injury they should be getting check by the doctor immediately.