Concussion Essay

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Recommended: Pro football and head injuries and preventive measures

As a result of many deaths of professional athletes through suicide as well as general concern for health, concussion awareness and testing is as high as it’s ever been. Precautions and tests are currently being set up in almost sports in the attempt to diminish the long term effects. Although the symptoms and exact recovery time are still unknown, doctors and researchers are sure that concussions and other forms of head impacts can have long term effects that can present serious issues throughout the rest of these individual’s lives. The risk of potential damage to the brain increases as the number of concussions increase. In the athletics, players deliver and absorb many hits to the head which a primary reason why rules and regulations at a levels of football, for example, are changing to try and decrease the number of concussions received by players and to make the game safer to those who play it. However these head injuries are not just restricted to athletics, roughly three million Americans have brain injuries every year, half of which are considered serious (Dekosky 2010). Also, many of our nation’s brave men and women suffer traumatic head injuries that take months, even years to fully recover from. Though the exact number of concussions in soldiers can be completely accurate, many army officials believe it to be around eighteen percent (Charles 2008). Constant research is being done in an effort to ensure the safety of individuals who suffer these injuries along with looking at the potential long term effects of these injuries. Many doctors now believe that repeated blows to the head through contact sports or everyday life may place the individual at risk for degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s or Lou Gehrig’s diseas... ... middle of paper ... ...ent process is avoiding light, watching television or anything else that involves excess strain on the eyes, and loud noises. To begin the process of returning back to normal levels of activity, the first step involves very light aerobic activity such as walking, swimming, making sure that the individual keeps “keeping exertion under seventy percent of maximum heart rate” (Lear 2012). After that may begin slightly more strenuous activities and continue on a light pace until they are able to compete in game like activities. A physician should been seen throughout the process to ensure that the individual is ready to increase the stress involved in their activity level (Lear 2012). Ignoring these steps could result in post-concussion syndrome, during which the individual has less severe concussion like symptoms for several months after the original injury.

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