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Essays about head trauma
Post concussion effects on college athletes
Essays about head trauma
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Have you ever hit your head on something as silly as a shelf or table? Did you experience any headaches, memory loss, nausea or vision changes following the incident?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may have had a concussion or mild brain injury. Concussions are a current worldwide hot topic, but are they as important as the media portrays them?
According to an section titled “Sport Concussions” in a Teen Health and Wellness archive, a concussion is a brain injury resulting from a head trauma, blow to the head, or whiplash movement; temporary loss of brain function can occur.
The Brain Injury Association of America states concussions are the “most common brain injury among athletes.”
In 2014, according to the Centers for
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Many different tests are registered.
Factors that play into these baseline tests include: brain history, symptom evaluation, current brain function, cognitive assessments, balance evaluations as well as clearance from a physician.
If someone hits their head and is perceived as concussed, they must retake the baseline quizzes and tests established before participating in said sport. A visit with your physician must be scheduled, clearance must be established.
Haley Golden, a senior at Piedra Vista High School, was concussed before a baseline was even established; therefore, making it more difficult to determine if she has a true concussion. She had to rely on only a physician and other tests to determine if she was concussed.
Haley believed her “doctor portrayed the severity of my concussion pretty well…my coaches didn’t get it at all, whatsoever. They just expected me to be so much better so much faster than I was…”
Following her multiple concussions, she believes her most recent concussion was handled properly, although her recovery was long.
Student athletes are not the only athletes susceptible to concussions, anyone can have a concussion at any point in time. Specifically speaking about athletics, we hear a lot in the media about professional
Concussions are an injury to the brain caused by bump, or blow to the head or body. They can occur even when you haven’t even been knocked unconscious. Concussions can not be seen, but you can notice when someone has received one. (Center for Disease Control). The symptoms are Headaches, nausea, vomiting, balance problems, blurry vision, and memory problems or confusion. Also difficulty paying attention, bothered by lights or loud noises and feeling sluggish are sure symptoms of a concussion. (CDC 2). Even though concussions can’t be fully prevented, scientists are doing their best to find ways to decrease the amount of concussions that happen per year.
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
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.
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?
An unnoticed fatal injury that countless athletes have experienced is a concussion. Many people have heard about concussions, but not about the underlying damage they cause the brain. A concussion is a minor traumatic brain injury that may occur when the head hits an object, or a moving object strikes the head. It can affect how the brain works for a whi...
Athletes suspected of having a concussion should be removed from play and evaluated by a trained medical professional. An Emergency Department evaluation is indicated for any athlete who suffers a loss of consciousness. (8) Athletes with a diagnosis of concussion should be removed from play or practice until symptoms have resolved without the aid of medication. Individuals with a history of multiple concussions should undergo a more detailed evaluation that may include a neurology referral. A progressive stepwise approach to return to activity is currently the recommendation. Currently, physicians and certified athletic trainers assess return to competition based solely on symptoms reported by the athletes in combination with standardized assessments. This is a major factor in the challenge of diagnosing a concussion. Additionally, when a diagnosis of concussion is made, the time frame for a complete return to competition is difficult to
It happens all too often, athletes are coming home complaining of dizziness, confusion, and a headache. “More than 1.6 million Americans suffer a sports-related concussion every year, and a growing number occur among high school and college athletes” (O’connor).
A concussion is defined as a “mild traumatic brain injury that may cause physical, cognitive, affective and sleep dysfunction” (Yorke). It is usually caused by a direct blow to the head, face, or neck. Ordinarily, when the brain slams against the inside of the skull it will not make one lose consciousness. The person also does not show certain signs of a concussion, making it difficult to find out whether they have a concussion or not. Many players sustained a concussion in practices, preseason games, and/or regular season games in 2015. These numbers grew thirty percent from 2014. The head injuries that occurred during the regular season by themselves went up sixty percent, from 115 to 182 (Breslow). These injuries can lead to serious brain
Since 2009 the rate of concussions have gone up dramatically. According to Ryan Sprouse’s, “Sport Related Concussion: How Best to Help Young Athlete” journal research, on average three million people get a concussion every year. A concussion is a temporary unconsciousness caused by a blow or a violent shock from a heavy blow to the head. Concussions can result in many symptoms which include: headaches, nausea, blurry vision, fatigue, poor balance, sensitivity to light, and sleepiness.
concussion, they will have to take a series of tests that can be given at the place of the injury by a
In the beginning of the article, Kristen Reilly talks about a personal experience she had during her junior year of highschool having to go through the hardships of a concussion. Reilly states in her article that a concussion directly affects the most vital and complex organ our brain. When a concussion occurs, the participants brain slams against their skull which causes a stretch or tear in it. A concussion is brain damage and it should be treated at the right time. Kristen Reilly interviewed another student who got a concussion during the same year as her. She interviewed Kristin Sutton about her concussion. Due to many concussions Sutton has been through she stated that she’s not able to play any contact sport. When individuals have a concussion they go through many symptoms. Reilly’s symptoms when she had her concussion junior year of highschool were: headaches, fatigue, and sensitivity to light. Sutton struggled a lot through the process because her grades dropped, she became less social and she had headaches when she was around many people. Other than Reilly and Sutton’s
Concussions have always been a problem in sports, and they are only becoming more relevant in sports of all ages today. Suffering a concussion can affect an athlete both short, and long term. There is a lot of research and progress towards the effects and prevention of concussions.Researchers are noticing an increase of concussions in young athletes as well, and are looking for ways of prevention. Even with research progressing on prevention, concussions are still occurring very often in most sports. Concussions are a problem in sports today, but researchers are working on ways to better understand, and prevent them. In order to better understand concussions, it is important to find out how conussions develop, how researchers classify concussions,
When concussions in young athletes are overlooked, serious consequences can arise. Another issue which causes concussions to become overlooked is the lack of knowledge that coached have when it comes to identifying when one of their players has a possible concussion. Coaches aren’t effectively trained when it comes to spotting when one of their players has concussion symptoms, therefore not pulling them out of play. Shroyer did a study on coaches and asked them true or false questions based on concussions. On a few of the questions, more than half of the coaches answered them wrong. Shroyer states, “Regrettably, only seven coaches (13%) knew and 25 (48%) did not know that high school athletes take longer to recover from a concussion than do older athletes” (Shroyer 7). Coaches don’t realize that it takes a good amount of time to fully recover from concussions. It’s especially crucial for younger athletes to receive the proper time to recover. Concussions are hard to be identified by untrained coaches. In an educational novel written by Peggy Parks, these struggles are explained. Peggy states, “Although research has heightened awareness of concussions and the associated problems, the injuries are not well understood by athletes, coaches, parents, and the general public” (Parks 54). Since it can be difficult to identify concussions in some cases,
All of these can be very expensive and not readily available on site of the injury. Brain imaging is the easiest way to fully be sure that an athlete has or does not have a concussion. Another easy way to see if an athlete has a concussion is to use sideline testing. Sideline testing can be done on sight and right after an injury or possible injury happens.4 Sideline testing can help an athletic trainer be sure that an athlete indeed does have a concussion. It can also be used to see if an athlete should or should not return to play.4 Coaches could be taught how to do this as well if medical personnel or an athletic trainer is not on the premises. Sideline testing can be a useful tool but it does need some improvements. It also needs flexibility in how testing is done because every athlete experiences something
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