Head Injuries and High School Football

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Forty seven percent of all sports concussions are from high school football. The National Federation of State High School Associations has put new policies into effect to help reduce the number of concussions caused by football. Some believe that new safety regulations in football would change the game because it would make the game less rough and not as competitive; however I believe that new safety regulations in football could help protect the players and drastically lower the rate of sports concussions.
A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that in severe cases can even cause death. Concussions are caused by the brain crashing into the sides of the skull thus, causing the brain to bleed and swell. They can cause permanent brain damage that could end a player’s football career. Forty seven percent of all high school sport concussions are from football. Most people think that concussions happen more in football games than at practice; however this is not actually true. Thirty three percent of all concussions occur at practice. Football is an extremely physically demanding game. Players are hit and tackled every play. The average high school lineman takes between 1,000 to 1,500 hits to the head each season, some at forces equivalent to or greater than a 25-mile-an-hour car crash.
Concussions can cause long term neurological problems. Some symptoms include: headaches, confusion, nausea, vomiting, depression and amnesia. Studies show that repeated brain trauma can cause Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is a disease that mostly affects the nervous system in the human body, which causes tremors and involuntary movements. Repeated concussions are also shown to lead to Alzheimer’s; a disease that effects the brain c...

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