Concussions: Causes, And Long-Term Effects Of Concussions

A concussion is defined as a “mild traumatic brain injury that may cause physical, cognitive, affective and sleep dysfunction” (Yorke). It is usually caused by a direct blow to the head, face, or neck. Ordinarily, when the brain slams against the inside of the skull it will not make one lose consciousness. The person also does not show certain signs of a concussion, making it difficult to find out whether they have a concussion or not. Many players sustained a concussion in practices, preseason games, and/or regular season games in 2015. These numbers grew thirty percent from 2014. The head injuries that occurred during the regular season by themselves went up sixty percent, from 115 to 182 (Breslow). These injuries can lead to serious brain

Long-term effects of concussions are very rare. Moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause symptoms similar to a concussion, but individuals with these TBIs often experience more severe problems with attention and focusing on easy tasks. Also, depression later in life is a big issue with people who have experienced numerous concussions. If this does not happen then it might cause Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which is a “progressive tauopathy, characterized by the deposition of tau protein in the form of neurofibrillary tangles within the superficial cortical layer of the frontal and temporal lobes”

They can cause many long and short term effects on the brain. When looking for a concussion in may be hard to identify whether one has one or not, but one can determine if they have this by symptoms. Some symptoms include being dizzy, not feeling like themselves, and not being able to complete simple tasks. Also, when dealing with concussions, one does not want to receive more than one of these because it can lead to CTE which kills the brain even more. They usually only get CTE if they have had multiple concussions. Another thing to remember with concussions are, if someone has a concussion they should sit out of all activities so they can allow for their brain to heal. If they don’t do this and they risk themselves going out to play it could be fatal. This is because if the brain is not done healing and the concussed player receives another concussion during the time he could make the concussion irreversible. It 's also important to know that kids between the ages of eight and twelve should not be partaking in activities where they could seriously damage their head. If they do that, they could ruin the rest of their lives. Another reason why sports leagues need to do more to help prevent these concussions. Concussions do not just occur in football, in fact, they happen in baseball, hockey, at work, and sometimes just one wrong jolt to the head could make the brain hit the