Head Injuries In Football

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Mind blowing catches, lighting quick speed, tight space passes, and body shaking hits are just a few of the many reasons Americans like myself enjoy watching and playing the game of football. According to one study, approximately 5.5 million people who are 6 years old and older play football in America (Martino). But while football is incredibly enjoyable to watch, there are some serious health concerns that come with playing the sport. Here one will see just how dangerous football is for the head and brain. First, injuries occur more often in football than almost any other sport. Research shows that in college sports, football accounts for the most injuries. A player is injured about 40 times per one thousand exposures. An exposure is practice, …show more content…

Most head injuries stem from concussions. According to one study, “A concussion is a blow to the head followed by a variety of symptoms that may include any of the following: headache, dizziness, loss of balance, blurred vision, ‘seeing stars,’ feeling in a fog or slowed down, memory problems, poor concentration, nausea, or throwing up (McCrea 2).” Basically, any blunt force to the head that causes irregular side effects is a concussion. Many people think concussions are the only type of head injury, but that simply is not true. According to studies, a compilation of hits to the head can often result in many life altering effects over a long period of time. But for simplicity’s sake, most people simply refer to any injury to the head as a concussion. Football is the leading sport for head injuries (Martin 47). In conclusion, concussions are basically any injury to the head, and football is the leading cause of …show more content…

CTE is was discovered by Dr. Bennet Omalu. When asked to do research on a few former players who seemed to suffer from brain damage, Omalu discovered that these players had a protein called “tau” on their brain. This protein is often associated with Alzheimer’s, but since it was in young people it had to be something different; thus, the name Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy was born. CTE occur by reciving numerous blows to the head, or by sustaining one-time concussions. According to one study, CTE was found in 90 of 94 professional players, 45 of 55 college players, and 26 of 65 high school players (Schmindle). These numbers show that it is very likely a large number of players suffer brain diseases, and many cases of CTE are fatally

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