Concussions: The Traumatic Brain Injury
A soccer player heads a soccer ball. A football player collides head – on with another. What might happen? A brain injury called a concussion. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that can change the functions of the brain (Mayo Clinic Staff). Concussions occur can occur in many different ways, including being shaken and being hit in the head (Mayo Clinic Staff). Concussions are a very important cause of sports injuries, and the signs and symptoms are hard to identify. Fortunately, it can be treated.
Concussions are a huge part of sports. Most concussions are caused by sports, but there are still other ways to get a concussion. One athlete named Allison Kasacavage, who has had five concussions,
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said, “It’s like I need a sign on my back saying, ‘My head is broken.’ You can’t see a concussion. It’s not visible. Not many people understand” (Goldsmith 25). This means that most signs and symptoms are hard to identify because it is an internal injury. Most doctors recommend athletes to see a healthcare professional if there is contact to the head (Mayo Clinic Staff). Also, one way athletes try to prevent it is by getting baseline testing. Doctors recommend athletes participating in “contact sports such as football, lacrosse, soccer, basketball, cheerleading, and gymnastics” to get tested (“Treatment and Returning to Activity”). But, most concussions occur with football and soccer athletes, due to heading soccer balls and other hits to the head (Goldsmith 25.) But by baseline testing, doctors can see and recognize signs and symptoms by difference in testing. It makes judging athletic return and treatment much easier. Also, because concussions are so common, many coaches are now aware of most of the signs and symptoms. This also makes it easier to identify concussions. Concussions are a major brain injury, so most signs and symptoms are found in the head.
But, one thing people must understand is the difference between signs and symptoms. Signs are things that people observe about the person with the contact, and symptoms are things that the concussed person feels. Some symptoms include headache or the feeling of pressure in the head, not permanent loss of consciousness, confusion, amnesia about the event that injured them, and dizziness, ringing in the ears, nausea, vomiting, slurred speech, delayed response to questions, appearing dazed, and fatigue (Mayo Clinic Staff). People also may be slowed down (McClafferty 86), and bad cases may cause fatal bleeding in the brain (Mayo Clinic Staff). But, very few people die from concussions, and the concussion must be really bad to be fatal. What most athletes and people that have had concussions worry about are the effects of concussions. Effects are some problems with your body that are caused by something else. Effects include epilepsy, post-concussion syndrome, headaches, vertigo, and second impact syndrome, naming few of the many major diseases and disorders that effect the way people live after concussions (Mayo Clinic Staff). In 2014, many former NFL athletes were experiencing brain disorders and sued the league for not addressing the ongoing problem of concussions. Many of these disorders were effects of concussions. So, now, the NFL and other professional and collegiate leagues are …show more content…
looking into researching concussions. This example shows how serious the effects of concussions can get. They and scientists have dug deep into how to test and treat concussions, which has helped many people learn about concussions and to learn how to prevent them. There are many types of tests and not many treatments for concussions. One kind of test is called the imPACT Test. imPACT Testing is a computer program that an athlete takes to test for a concussion. The athlete takes a baseline test to see what is normal for him/her. Then, if there is contact the head, the athlete takes the test again and the computer compares his/her baseline test to the one they just took. Usually, if the score is lower, the person is likely to have a concussion. If it is normal or even higher, there is nothing to worry about (“Treatment and Returning to Activity after a Concussion”). This is an easy tool that really helps to see if the brain is functioning any differently, which could mean a concussion. Also, people may take imaging tests. If one takes an imaging test, their symptoms are really bad. Usually, a CT scan scans the brain right after the injury, taking pictures and cross sections of the brain. Also, an MRI is taken to see if the brain is bleeding or to see if there might be any post – concussive effects (Mayo Clinic Staff). These can limit any fatalities because of bleeding and address effects of the brain after the concussion. Finally, a doctor might give you cognitive testing. They will check your speech, vision, balance, and more (Mayo Clinic Staff). Things like slurred speech, impaired eyesight, and bad balance are all common signs of a concussion. So, after doctors test the patient, they will talk to them about treatments. There isn’t one cure for a concussion to make it go away, so the main treatment is rest. Doctors recommend avoiding physical exertion and mental thinking, like using computers and doing homework (Mayo Clinic Staff). Doing physical exertion may cause you to get dizzy, and bad balance may cause you to fall down and cause an even more serious injury. Thinking a lot may also put an extra strain on an already injured brain. It is like sprinting on a broken leg – it hurts and slows you down. Fortunately, many people research concussions today, and better treatment will be created. But for now, any medicine for concussions remains unfound. When a patient goes to a doctor, he/she may face a lot of questions that strain his brain and make him think.
Thinking will usually bring out symptoms of concussions and make it easier for a doctor to diagnose an injury. For example, a doctor may ask, “Have you noticed a difference in your coordination? Have you felt mood changes? Are there any other symptoms you have” (Mayo Clinic Staff)? Preparing and understanding concussions is extremely necessary before seeing a doctor. Presenting one’s symptoms, such as coordination, hearing, and eyesight may make any diagnosis and test easier for a doctor and will lessen the patient’s time at a doctor’s office. It may also make the difference in his/her treatment. Understanding the concussions will also help the patient understand what he/she can do and expect out of the injury. Concussions do make a difference in the world today, and not just because of their importance in sports. Concussions are a daily issue that will get addressed and will be researched until the last concussion patient walks in a doctor’s
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Injuries are a huge part in professional sports. When playing a professional sport athletes do not always take into consideration that their bodies are vulnerable to injuries. One of the leading injuries that can end athlete’s career is concussion. According Kia Boriboon author of the article “Concussion Management In Football: Don 't Shake It Off” concussion occurs when the brain repeatedly collides with the skull. Concussions are serious and cannot be taken lightly they are detrimental to a person’s athletic career as well as life. Players who have suffered from a concussion or like symptoms of a concussion are at risk and should not continue playing their sport until cleared by a medical doctor, who is an expert in concussions. If concussions are not treated with the appropriate medical care, it can cause physical and mental health problems for athletes well after their professional career have ended. In
Concussions and the effect they have on people ranging from the young to the old has become a very popular discussion in recent years. Generally people watch sports for entertainment and then there are those who engage in high impact sports from a very young age on. The people at home know how fun playing in a sport is, however they may not know the brutal consequences for some participating in that sport. Injuries to the brain are a main concern among those in the world of high impact sports. Football, soccer, wrestling, lacrosse, and rugby are among sports that athletes receive injuries in. The injuries vary from sprains, to fractures, to torn MCL or ACL, and bruised organs. Concussions are a severe type of injury endured by athletes in the sports world and this life changing injury is one that people are becoming more aware of.
The article titled “Concussions increasingly common on the football field,” was found on the Alabama News website. This article takes a look from the coaches perspective when he finds that four of his players have suffered from concussions on his high school football team. The coach from the Greenville high school football team Josh McLendon, raises concern about football and practicing the sport. He talks about his players injuries and how most of the concussions occur during practice. Even though the team works hard to change practice routines and rules, they are not able to prevent concussions from happening. The article talks about symptoms that players do not notice. Often times a player will feel dizzy and he will just assume he took a hard fall, but players start to get blurry vision, dizziness, and headaches. Before players would hide their injury and play through it, but with the heavy effects concussions have had on retired football players, McLendon urges his team to speak up when they start to feel ill. He hopes that other coaches will learn from him when they stress the seriousness of concussions “Wouldn’t tell the coach, wouldn’t tell a parent, it would just kind of go away. But know since we have made people more aware of it I think they’re coming to the forefront of it a little more,” athletes who do not hear about the severity of something will not stop to think
To understand the issue of concussions in the NFL we must first understand exactly what a concussion is. A concussion is a minor traumatic brain injury that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull. Severe concussions can cause loss of consciousness and/or forgetfulness. However, you do not need to lose consciousness to have a concussion. Minor concussions usually cause headache, nausea, dizziness, and tiredness. An NFL study showed that most concussions occur when one player delivered a hit to the side of the head of another, and when the player was either standing still or moving slowly. These hits that cause concussions pack an average force of 980-pounds. Concussions affect professional athletes as well as amateur or youth football players. Studies have shown that high school football players are nearly twice as likely to get concussions as college football players and high school athletes in other sports. Also, they show that 47% of high school football players say they suffer a concussion each season. As a result about 250,000 people under the age of 19 went to the emergency room with concussions in 2009, compared with 150,000 in 2001.
Even though the devastation of concussions is just rising to the surface, they have always been around. In 1994, the NFL started a committee called the MTBI (Mild Traumatic Brain Injury). Dr. Elliot Pellman was appointed as chair, and he was quoted saying, “We think the issue of knees, of drugs and steroids and drinking is a far greater problem, according to the number of incidents” (Ezell). This quote shows how concussions did not hold much importance, even though it should have been the committee's main focus. This is ironic, because in today’s sport world concussions are a highly talked about topic. They hold such significance that some rules are even being changed to lower the risk for players.
Through sports or through everyday life, concussions tend to happen. An estimated 300 000 sport-related traumatic brain injuries, predominantly concussions, occur annually in the United States. Sports are second only to motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of traumatic brain injury among people aged 15 to 24 years. (U.S National Library of Medicine). Coaches and parents often do not go through the right procedures or protocols when dealing with a teenager who has received a blow to the head. The usual questions that are asked when there is a head injury are, “what day is it, what’s the score, and how many fingers am I holding up?” Now these are not poor questions, but these questions alone cannot determine if a person has suffered a concussion. The correct method, which they are now implementing in most professional sports leagues, is for anyone with a head injury to take a legitimate concussion test performed by the team doctor. (WebbMD) At present the symptoms can be hit or miss. After receiving a concussion, research shows that an “estimated 80 to 90% of concussions heal spontaneously in the first 7 to 10 days”. (Barton Straus) But, it is important to remember not to return until all symptoms are
How can a concussion be prevented? What is the minimum time an athlete needs to be out of the game after a concussion? What are the chances of an athlete suffering post-traumatic stress disorders after a blow to the head? In all sports athletes are prone to injuries, they can happen at any time and at any given moment. Nevertheless, people that have suffered from a head injury or concussion will also have problems dealing with their learning processes in the long run.
Did you know, that someone suffers from a brain injury every 21 seconds (Haas)? Children get concussions all the time, and most of the time they go unnoticed. The majority of concussions happen when one is playing a sport such as football, hockey, or lacrosse. Many famous athletes have had their careers, even their lives cut short due to concussions. Brain damage and death can result from serial concussions (Schafer). When one suffers from a concussion, one’s brain needs time to recover physically and mentally. Between 2002 and 2006, statistics showed that 52,000 people died from concussions and about 275,000 were hospitalized (Fundukian). Everyone’s recovery process is different (“Injury and Pain Care”). Although concussions seem minor, they are very serious brain injuries that may result in severe damage to one’s brain.
Concussions occur regularly on the football field and have always been an injury associated with football. They occur at all levels from little league to the NFL. One of the earliest reported concussion...
Concussions can spring from practically anywhere; at home during cleaning, playing catch in the yard, or even slipping and falling. One of the most common reasons concussions happen is from sports, most often from football. It should be common knowledge on the symptoms of a concussion and what to do to help it heal, especially coaches. Because of the mindset that coaches give towards their players and the spirit of the game, athletes do not report their injuries to their coaches. One reports states, “The culture of sports negatively influences athletes’ self-reporting of concussion symptoms and their adherence to return-to-play guidance” (Waldron). This means that athletes could have any injury, not just a concussion, and they would be afraid to tell the coach because they are afraid of getting taken out of the game. More coaches, however, are starting to come around to educating the team and support staff about head injuries. Some coaches are actually sitting their teams down and making them watch a video on what happens during a concussion. In one report, the athletes said that after they watched the video, “they would be su...
A concussion may be caused by a blow, bump, or jolt to the head or by any fall or hit that jars the brain. A concussion causes the brain to work longer and harder. A concussion affects the mental stamina and function of the brain. Even though concussions are very serious and potentially life threatening to the young athlete, studies show that less than 50% of high school athletes will report their concussions. Almost all athletes
Recreational athletes, competitive athletes, high school athletes, college athletes, and professional athletes all have one thing in common: the risk of a concussion. It's impossible to go a season without one athlete from a team receiving a concussion. The more that these concussions are studied, the more we learn about them, such as their detrimental effects on athletes. Because of the risk of health issues and death that come with concussions, doctors, coaches, athletic trainers, and lawmakers are stepping in to protect athletes of all levels from receiving concussions. Concussions occur time after time throughout different sporting events and many are familiar with the word concussion, but what really is a concussion?
The very first step to solving the concussion problem is to train coaches how to spot a concussion. The most common symptoms are: headache, sensitivity to light and/or sound, trouble remembering plays, dizziness, nausea, and balance problems. Players suspected of having a concussion must be removed from the game or practice immediately. A concussion is described as a “mild traumatic brain injury” because it is not usually life threatening if treated properly. That name does not indicate the possible consequences if an athlete returns to play too soon.
Some NFL players have shown how concussions are dangerous and can lead you to have several brain injuries. 1 type of brain injury is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy [CTE] is a degenerative disease of the brain and is associated with repeated head traumas like concussions. It doesn’t matter if you are a pro at football eventually you will get a concussion. Football is serious some people might think that concussions aren’t that hurtful but trust me they
How do concussions affect the human brain? In order to know what affects the concussions does to the brain, we must first know what exactly a concussion is. A concussion a concussion is described as a complex pathophysiological process that affects the brain in the act of severe head trauma. Think of the brain as the yoke inside an egg, if the egg is shaken, the yoke will be obscured. This is exactly what a concussion is like. A concussion affects the brain in several ways, including physical, emotional, and cognitive. There are also long-term effects like increased risk for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s (“Concussion Treatment”).