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Concussions over the past 30 years in the NFL
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Concussions over the past 30 years in the NFL
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For centuries sports have been the interest point for players and fans all around the nation and the participation has risen for athletics in professional, collegiate and high school athletics. With the increase of athletes comes the increase in injuries. Over the past decade the most common type of injury suffered by the athletes has been concussions. In 2012 alone 3,800,000 concussions were reported. Although concussions have just been introduced into the news and media in the last 10 years, concussions have been present in the history of sports for many years and continue to play an important role in the sports world today. In a article about the history of concussions, the author explains how the original research of brain related injuries …show more content…
came about and how one incident started the conversation into brain related traumas. “The relationship of brain trauma to behavioral changes became an object of great interest to neuroscientists in 1848, when the head of an affable and well-liked railroad worker, Phineas Gage, was penetrated by an iron spike. (History of the concussion 1). While that was not a sports related injury, that incident sparked the interest in head related injuries and this same research has been taken into consideration while looking into head related traumas that take place on the field or the court. Due to the history of head related injuries in sports and the rising amount of athletes we should be more careful and do all we can to avoid concussions and prevent our youth from suffering these injuries to prevent problems later in their lives and to prevent any impact it may have on the academic futures of kids. Concussions are a very serious issue and have played an important role in the futures of kids and adults who have suffered them while on the field and court.
The impact that concussions have on a person can include those that are both short and long term and involve negative impacts on the emotional, mental and physical areas of a person's life. In a article from the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, they describe the dangers of concussions and how fatal they can become if they go untreated. “In the United States, approximately 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) annually; these injuries account for 1.365 million emergency room visits and 275,000 hospitalizations each year.1 The majority of these TBIs are minor” (Long Term Consequences: Effects on Normal Development Profile after Concussion, 1). When untreated a concussion can result in Fatigue, disordered sleep, aggression, anxiety, depression, headaches, dizziness, personality changes and apathy. These symptoms will last at least 3 months and often will last longer. These symptoms will have a negative impact on children and how they go about living their lives, and will likely impact their lives in the long run. As presented concussions can have a negative impact on the future lives on many athletes far beyond their lives on the playing …show more content…
field. Just as concussions can have an impact on the futures of the athletes, for many athletes, especially those who are still enrolled in a form of school, weather it be elementary level, middle school, high school or even college athletes, those who suffer a concussion are impacted and the results are shown in the classroom.
A study done in 2015 by the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that about 69% of the 359 athletes that were studied from the ages of 5-18 who suffered from a concussion showed academic deficiencies and both their parents and their teachers showed concern in their academic performance. (Academic Effects of Concussion in Children and Adolescents, 1). This study is significant because it shows how a concussion can have such negative impacts on the academic futures of many children including the student’s ability to learn, participate and do well in everyday school activities. Another way concussions can be dangerous if for a student who is returning to school too soon after a concussion. In a handout created by the Department of health and human resources detailed the negative impacts that grueling school work has on a student who either has a concussions but more specifically those returning too fast from a head trauma. “ the experience of learning and engaging in academic activities that require concentration can actually cause a student’s concussion symptoms to appear or worsen” (Heads Up Schools, 2). Those students who return to quickly from a head
injury can actually cause the concussion to return even stronger the second time. Students who suffer a concussion may choose to stay home from school and avoid anything that may cause the symptoms to worsen. These students will experience the hard impacts that a head related injury has on a student because any student who has to miss valuable time in the classroom will fall behind in both academic areas and also social experiences that are felt by students. The impacts that concussions have on students are very devastating and can leave a lasting impact on a student’s future inside the classroom. Due to the history of head related injuries in sports and the rising amount of athletes we should be more careful and do all we can to avoid concussions and prevent our youth from suffering these injuries to prevent problems later in their lives and to prevent any impact it may have on the academic futures of kids. Concussions are an very important topic for all people weather you play sports or you do not. For parents, it is very important to pay attention to concussions and the the risk that they put on young kids in sports and the more people know about concussions the better chance there is to protect our youth and help them avoid any head traumas on the field or court. When it comes down to the athletes themselves, it is important that they also pay attention to the risk of concussions and what impacts they can leave on our future and our education. Overall the goal of sports is to provide and safe and healthy opportunity for all people and concussions add a unnecessary negative effect on sports. The more people are educated on concussions, the less the chance that sports will impacted by these tramas and sports will return to the original goals of providing a fun and safe opportunity. "Brain Injury Awareness Month -- March 2010." MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 59, no. 8, 05 Mar. 2010, p. 235. EBSCOhost, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. “Returning to School After a Concussion: A Fact Sheet for School Professionals.” Returning to School After a Concussion, www.cdc.gov/headsup/pdfs/schools/tbi_returning_to_school-a.pdf. Daneshvar, Daniel H., et al. “Long Term Consequences: Effects on Normal Development Profile after Concussion.” Advances in Pediatrics., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 23 Nov. 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3208826/. Medicine, Sports. “How Concussions Affect Academics -- Part One.” UPMC HealthBeat, 17 Feb. 2015, share.upmc.com/2014/10/concussions-affect-academics-part-one/. “Post-Concussion Symptoms Affect Academic Performance.” Neurology Advisor, 13 May 2015, www.neurologyadvisor.com/traumatic-brain-injury/post-concussion-symptoms-student-academic-performance/article/414420/. Morgan, Mandy. “How a Concussion Can Affect Your Student's Academic Performance.” DeseretNews.com, Deseret News, 29 May 2015, www.deseretnews.com/article/865629571/Danger-of-concussions-on-memory-and-grades.html.
Following behind motor vehicle crashes, traumatic brain injury in sports is the second leading cause of traumatic brain injuries for people fifth-teen to twenty-four years of age. Immense concerns follows given that American football accounts for the highest incidence of concussions (Rowson and Duma 2130). In addition, th...
Moser, R. S., Schatz, P., & Jordan, B. D. (2005). Prolonged effects of concussion in high school athletes. Neurosurgery, 57(2), 300-306.
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.
A. Background In recent years, there has been an increase in research investigating the long-term effects of repeated head trauma on the brain, especially in athletes. Following his discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Dr. Bennet Omalu inspired a movement of research aimed at establishing better safety standards and protocols in football. It was not until 2002 that the initial connection between repetitive head trauma, such as concussions, and brain injury was suspected (Ott, 2015). As common as concussions were during the late 1970s and 1980s, they were often swept under the rug, as they were seen as insignificant injuries.
That’s where the advancements in concussion detection and treatment comes into play. According to the article “Advancements in Concussion Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment” the writer states “the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 207,830 trips to an emergency room annually between 2001 and 2005 due to sports participation injuries” ( “Advancements in Concussion Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment | The Sport Journal” ). The report from the CDC shows how many reported sports injuries occur in a short period. However, this does not include the vast number of injuries not reported every year. That is a lot of injuries that go unreported and not cared for. We can help make it to where all kids after a concussion report it and get treated by educating them on the dangers they face if they continue to play as they are and tell them they will be right back to playing after the testing has been completed and they are clear to play again. This is not hard to do it’s just the fact of telling the kids the truth of the matter and them knowing the tests aren’t hard and don’t take long to pass. But the kids need to know this is needed if they want to be able to play for years to come in school and even in
In contrast to the positives, high school athletics can be seen in a negative light. “Concussions [from athletics] cause structural brain damage” (Solotaroff 7). Even though nobody is said to get a concussion in Friday Night Lights, they are very frequent in football and in other sports today. They occur all the time in football especially. In addition to that piece of nega...
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
Football is America’s favorite sport. It is a fast-paced, hard-hitting game. Every week thousands of men and boys all across the country take part in football and every week these men and boys receive violent hits during the game. Frequently, as a result of these violent hits, the player receives a concussion. However, the long-term effects of concussions on players are not fully understood. New research shows that even a slight concussion in a football game can have lasting effects on a player. As a result of this research, children under the age of fourteen should not play tackle football.
The number of children below the age of 19 are treated in American emergency rooms for concussions and other traumatic brain injuries increased from 150,000 in 2001 to 250,000 in 2009. That’s not cumulative, that is actually per year. Everyone should know how and when to treat a concussion, no matter if it is for sports or in general. Concussions can come from anything. Concussions can be an easily preventable injury, however due to poor equipment, a competitive mindset, unrecognizable symptoms, and untrained sports physicians, they are becoming quite common and can lead to potentially fatal brain disorders.
Each year, U.S emergency departments treat an estimate 173,285 sports and recreation concussions. During the last decade concussions increased by 60%. Fewer than 10% of concussions result in loss of conscious. Most people recover from a single concussion. Multiple concussions take longer to recover from. The concussion Clinic at Nationwide Children’s Hospital utilizes the expertise of pediatric sports medicine, physical medicine, and rehabilitation specialists.
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?
What does the word concussion mean to you? Does it mean to become unconscious, or merely a change in consciousness? The definition of a concussion is just a change in consciousness. Common signs of concussions include; memory problems, confusion, nausea or vomiting, or balance problems. Concussions have been a problem in sports for many years. You will see what some experts have to say about effects of concussions and what they really are.
From the year 2001 to 1005 children aged 5-18 accounted for 2.4 million emergency room visits due to sports related injuries. Of these visits around 6 percent involved a concussion(The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Every athlete that receives a concussion does not necessarily go to the emergency room. Athletic trainers, when available and certified, can oversee the recovery of an athlete without a trip to the emergency room. Some concussions go untreated altogether. While the percentage may seem low, looki...
Concussions remain a dangerous concern in the United States, and the government is instigating to inform others of concussions and the threat concussions hold (Key 444). Each year, many student athletes receive a concussion. Annually, around 300,000 sports-related concussions materialize in America (Lueke 485). When a sports-related concussion occurs in a young student athlete, both cognitive and physical rest should be required until all symptoms have disappeared because it will hasten the brain’s rehabilitation process.