Head injuries are very serious and dangerous. Some head injuries can cause neurological brain damage. They are commonly found in the sports world, putting athletes at risk. There are a lot of head injuries that are dangerous or could cause serious damage brain and in turn, the body. Because of this, precautions, rules, and guidelines need to be in place to prevent and treat these athletes. If these things are not put in place, it could mean the difference between life and death for these athletes. There are many different injuries that can occur to the head and face. Facial injuries can be very dangerous as it can concern the eyes nose and mouth. In 1976 Scotland, a reported 100,000 people were in the hospital with a reported head injury. In the United Kingdom, they reported one million head injuries per year, according to hospital records. “Almost half of these are children less than fourteen years old and males outnumber females by more than two to one.”(Graham). Deaths due to head injuries during this time were reported to be approximately nine deaths per one hundred thousand injuries. These were reports were taken before and up to 1976 and in the United Kingdom. In American sports, there were more reported deaths or paralysis due to head injuries. In 1904, 19 athletes died or became paralyzed. In 1938, 894 deaths were thought to be caused by head injuries in athletics (HIS). Theodore Roosevelt actually threatened to ban American football unless changes were made to prevent these injuries and deaths caused by the sport. Since then, sports head injuries have dramatically decreased (HIS). Many reasons for this big change in sports related head injuries, mostly has to do with the protective equipment used and the regulation... ... middle of paper ... ... further harm the athletes head injury or may cause paralysis. Whether it’s a concussions or a hematoma, athletes should be wearing the proper gear. This gear will help prevent further injuries and may save their life. For anything facial related such as eye laserations, hyphema, or any oral injury, protective face guards should be used. Face masks/guards and mouth guards will help protect the face. To protect from head injuries, proper helmets should be worn. Head and facial injuries are very dangerous need to be prevented. Head injuries can cause death or permanent damage to an athlete for the rest of their lives. Facial injuries like hyphema can affect an athletes everyday life due to the decrease in visual performance. That’s why goggles or protective eyewear should be worn when playing a sport that has small round objects. These injuries can be prevented.
For the safety of the players in the present and future, a stricter concussion protocol should be required at all levels of football. Though improvements have been made, the game of football is constantly changing and the protocol needs to keep up with the changes. Today’s athletes are bigger, stronger, and faster than ever before: "Size and physical conditioning techniques in sports at all levels have evolved to create an intense athlete. They 're able to create more force, power and speed than ever before and that leads to harder hits and a greater number of hits" (Neporent). These advances in training have led to a more dangerous sport. The protocol has improved in recent years along with an emphasis on player safety, but the increasing numbers of players with long-term effects of concussions show there is still work to be done.
...time the athlete is just fine, but there is the small chance that the brain injury is worse than it appears. If I were in this situation, to me the health of the athlete is more important than winning a game. If the blow was an extremely hard hit than I would be worried for further injury of the brain, such as swelling and bleeding.
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.
Millions of people are registered throughout North America for participation in Canada’s national sport and pastime, ice hockey. Most young hockey players have the dream of making it to the National Hockey League (NHL). Because of this incentive to keep striving towards their ultimate goal in their hockey career, they idolize the players in the NHL. Therefore, youth players may obtain certain habits from the elite, whether those habits are good or bad. Some cases are of bad influences, such as young players obtaining the dirty playing habits of the professionals. The primary action that influences the youthful population is body checking. With the thought of losing a game, it is no wonder why players have the urge to play rough and potentially hurt the opposing team in order to be victorious. For that reason, hockey is a strong collision sport that requires great skill and motivation. Although body checking is believed to be a useful tool in the winning of hockey games, it can be the cause that leads to injury among players. Because of the rougher play, lasting brain injuries are becoming a worry and too many players are exposed to the lasting effects of the head injury. According to Michael Cusimano July 22, 2003 the article entitled “Body Checking and Concussions” states, “With the rising incidence of traumatic brain injury in hockey, too many players are exposed to the lasting effects of such injuries, some of which are not fully realized until the brain completes its maturation.” For this reason, new equipment and regulations need to be devised for use in the near future.
B. Research Questions The research questions being proposed in this paper include but are not limited to the following: How well do helmets prevent concussions from occurring and prevent the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)? Is there one helmet that is better at protecting players against concussions than the others on the market? Is there any protective equipment besides helmets that football players should be wearing to prevent concussions? What is the current National Football League (NFL) concussion protocol?
In conclusion, head injuries are serious business and should always be treated as if it could be fatal. New information and products are being made to help curb the increasing amount of concussions. Even though the number of concussions have increased over the years, there have been steps that are being made to cut down on the number of injuries. Concussions can be potentially be fatal and can have many side effects, both now and later in life. Such side effects can include headaches, inattention, loss of short-term and long-term memory, loss of motor skills, and even disturbances in sleep. It cannot be stressed enough to not shrug off any type of injuries, especially a concussion.
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.
Whether you lose consciousness or not, when you are hit and impacted in the head during a sport, you could suffer from a concussion. Many football players and hockey players get hit extremely hard in the head during their games, the impact can cause brain damage, stunt essential growth, and have long term effects. Athletes who have suffered from a concussion should get cleared by a medical professional before heading back to the field or rink. Although athletes want to strive to achieve a scholarship and get back on the field, this could be detrimental to their overall health, presently and in the future.
Modern Helmets vs. Improved Helmets Several sports entertainment shows, sports magazines, and parents are questioning the design of football helmets. Although helmets are used to minimize the level of impact to the brain as a football player is hit, brain injuries are still present. Guskiewicz, an athletic trainer, stated at the National Athletic Trainer's Association convention, “A modern helmet can lessen the effect of a straight-ahead, 'linear' impact, but cannot do much to prevent the effects of the head rotating from the impact” (NFL). Improved helmet design helps reduce concussions in impact sports, but it is impossible to design a helmet that eliminates concussion, according to a panel of sports science professors outlining the latest
Ice hockey is a fast-paced and full contact sport whether you are in a body checking league or not. However with a full contact sports, concussions are unfortunately inevitable. There are numerous factors that play into the number of concussions in ice hockey. Body checking and numerous head impact injuries that occur in hockey are a huge reason for concussions. Although administrators are taking steps towards concussion prevention and education, this education is proving to be ineffective. This paper will take a look at the various injury mechanisms that contribute to concussions and other head-impact injuries in ice hockey, as well as discussing concussion education.
While many events in my life have contributed to growth and development of where I stand today, I understand now that my head injury has been the greatest influence. Due to physical and mental challenges, I have had many life changes. Sometimes daily challenges. Whereas, many of my abilities have been restored by the Grace of God, I still have lost my ability to learn quickly, my meticulous speech, and some mental distortions due to the head injury. I am angry and discouraged yet, my heart tells me, I can learn from this experience and help others who are in similar situations. And, that I can help others grow in the Power of Jesus Christ.
Struggling to maintain consciousness as well as retain my vision after embracing a brutal hit enforced from an opposing player really makes me question the seriousness of football related trauma. How many injuries does it take until it really matters? For me, after having experience with concussions, I came to the realization that the positive externalities of football do not make up for the numerous negative externalities. Football, as well as any other contact sport, can be very dangerous and potentially threatening to a persons overall health and future.
Football is a relatively dangerous sport. In the game, the whole body is open to taking shots from opposing teams every play, but the most dangerous area to be hit is the head. Hits that lead to players having their heads
Mixed Martial Arts is the most violent sport in today’s society. According to a study done by Dr. George J. Buse of the Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, at least 28 percent of the fights are stopped due to head injuries or concussions.(mmabolgger.com) This percent is much higher than other combat sports such as boxing or karate. Head blows are the number one cause for stopping the fight. Many times when a fighter is struck in the head it results in altered consciousness and unsteady legs, or balance.
Bicycles, the one way we got to move around as kids, and as adults it is the one way we get around too, because cars are mainstream. Safety is an issue when it comes to bicycling and that why the helmet is an important factor when it comes to safety for bikes. Every year, in the U.S, nearly 900 persons die from injuries due to bicycle crashes and over 500,000 persons are being treated in emergency departments. Head injuries are by far the greatest concern for bicyclists, causing one third of emergency department visits, two thirds of hospital admissions, and three fourths of deaths. There are other injuries such as facial injuries, which occur at a rate nearly the same to head injuries. It is hard to trust that helmets would be protective against head injury, but establishing the real effectiveness of helmets is important.