All parents experience fear of their child playing sports due to the possible injuries a young athlete is susceptible to. ‘’Groups say they 're concerned because each year more than 60,000 high school athletes sustain a concussion. It 's an injury that temporarily affects brain function, though it may or may not cause a person to lose consciousness.’’ This statistic was generated by a group of doctors that specialize in concussion research. The increase of concussions in sports have a profound effect on athletes. Concussions rates in 2011 dramatically increased; their occurrence in athletes has increased by 200% over the recent years. With a recording of 3,800,000 concussions in 2012, it proves that change needs to occur for the safety of high school athletes. Section: Context Concussions today are among the most severe injuries in sports, especially in the game of football. Concussions can almost happen at any place or at anytime just depending on the situation you are in. 5-10 % of all athletes will experience a concussion during their time of play in whatever sport they are participating in. ‘’A typical high school football player receives about 650 hits to the head per season, according to researchers at Purdue University and the University of Michigan. The impacts of those hits are the equivalent of what a seat-belted passenger experiences in car accidents ranging from 15-to-35 mph, according to University of Nebraska professor Timothy Gay, author of “The Physics of Football.”Needless to say, that is a lot of contact that most likely could leave the athlete vulnerable to brain injury’’(Baumbatch) Football is the leading sport in concussions, therefore players should be especially aware of the dangers of concussions. The re... ... middle of paper ... ...mething to play with. ‘’Dubbed the Zero1, Vicis’ concussion solution is a multilayered, flexible helmet that’s particularly adept at diminishing rotational and linear impact forces. Specifically, the helmet was constructed to utilize four separate layers which work in perfect harmony with one another. It’s top layer —the Lode Shell— absorbs impact by locally deforming a specific part of a helmet. Think of it reacting like a bumper in a fender bender. Though the tech has existed in the auto industry for dozens of years, Vicis is the first company to bring deformation to a football helmet’’ (Stella). However, with technological innovations and improved safety practices where concussions are suspected, the amount of athletes suffering from lasting damage due to head trauma will be minimized and football can be a game with fewer injuries with long term complications.
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...
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.
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...
If you have the brains when you start, you are aware that banging your head into people is not the best thing for your body,” stated Chris Cooley, tight end and a 2 time Pro Bowler with the Washington Redskins (Do No Harm, 2). Research over the years has gathered extensive data on the mental and physical illnesses of retired NFL football players. It has proved that players who accumulate numerous concussions are at a higher risk of health problems after their football career than players who’ve sustained fewer. This data is proven by various studies that have caused worry for many retired NFL football families. The examples of deaths resulting from past concussions are astonishing, and the stats that show high risks for the possible problems can prove why they possibly died. Countless retired players are now frightened by the potential hazard of destructive health problems.
The goal is to achieve and to attain certain knowledge of concussions and proper helmet safety and to propose new suggestions to help decrease the incidence of sports-related concussions.
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
Not many sports are as physically demanding on the human body as football. The physical toll that football players pay is almost impossible to comprehend unless one has actually played the sport for a significant amount of time. However, until recently any connection between the hits taken by football players and their health down the road was largely ignored. A common, yet difficult injury to detect in football is a concussion, the most common traumatic brain injury (Pearce). A concussion is defined as “a brain injury that is caused by a sudden blow to the head or the body. The blow shakes the brain inside the skull, which temporarily prevents the brain from working normally” (Heiner pa.5). Reports and studies have surfaced shedding light on just how much damage is inflicted upon the brain due to crippling hits. These studies suggest that NFL athletes who received concussions suffered lasting damage to the brain, which opens the gate to a multitude of other health issues such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and clinical depression (Pearce). This is an aspect of the game that not many are aware of and it is a serous issue that needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later. There have been too many heartbreaking stories such as that of Justin Strzelcyk who heard voices and died in a crash while fleeing police or that of Andre Waters who shot himself in the head after struggles with depression (Zarda pa.1). Many current and former players are suffering in silence; this shouldn’t be the case. The National Football League needs to extend a hand to former players debilitated by head injuries. The problem of concussions and other head injuries in the NFL is one that needs to be tackled head on.
“A concussion is caused and or defined as, a direct blow to the head, face, or neck or elsewhere on the body with an “impulsive” force transmitted to the head” (Halstead 598). The threat that always seems to cause a major dilemma on football fields
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...
In American football, helmets are required to decrease traumatic brain injuries and have been successful in doing so. A large part in the success of helmet design is improvements in technology. The sizes of athletes have gone up to make football more dangerous. To protect against brain injury, helmets designs have changed to become heavier and wider, filled within the space are energy absorbing materials, air space and padding to protect the skull upon impact. Originally, helmets were designed to prevent only traumatic brain injuries, but technology is advancing to fill the gap of concussions. Until recently, the seriousness of concussions were not considered part of the equation that needed to be addressed, so manufactures did not utilized in constructing helmets to address this issue (Post et al. 653). Upon predicting risk of concussions in tests, by themselves linear and rotational acceleration are not suitable measurements for modern helmets. These testing measurements do not address the rotational forces and minor hits to the brain which are associated with concussions (Post et al. 654). Given the seriousness of concussions in contact sports, more attention is given to prevent and reduce concussions through testing methods and advancing technology, stronger regulation and changes to the sport. As stated in the article involving the National Football League (NFL), “The risk involved in playing sports are also very real. The NFL is struggling with serious mental and physical health problems because they sustained repeated mild traumatic brain injuries, is what concussions are called. (“Concussions and Marketing of Sports Equipment” 6).
Recently, attention has been brought to American football players on the risks of football due to countless concussions and lifelong health problems caused by blows to the head and improper equipment, therefore, the requirements for the equipment should be updated. Not only has the National Football League been found guilty of not realizing it, but the doctors and sports trainers have also. Head trauma early in life can greatly affect you later down the road. Head trauma is nine times out of ten, not curable. Therefore, it is greatly life threatening. Although football is a great pastime sport, it comes with many risks and health issues.
High schools should discontinue football programs because of the abundant amount of concussions in young athletes. According to a study conducted by the Institute of Medicine, high school football players suffer 11.2 concussions for every 10,000 games and practices while the rate for college players stands at 6.3 (Breslow). The nearly doubled rate of high school players shows evidence that high school football players face a bigger concussion risk, which can affect their developing brains and cause long-term symptoms. Additionally, Retired NFL stars who also sustained numerous concussions have battled with
Brain injuries can play a major role in football. Reoccurring concussions also occur due to these brain injuries, and cause these athletes permanent damage. Trainers and doctors in the medical field diagnose these brain injuries by loss of consciousness, slurred speech, loss of balance, and loss of memory. In football, they could improve the safety of the helmets; improve the rules, or safety regulations in all sports to help prevent concussions.
The National Athletic Trainers’ Association provides statistics on youth sports, one of which being “There are three times as many catastrophic football injuries among high school athletes as college athletes.” Aside from long term effects, there are startling figures pertaining to short term head injuries, being that “15.8% of football players who sustain a concussion severe enough to cause loss of consciousness return to play the same day.”, and that “High school athletes who have been concussed are three times more likely to suffer another concussion in the same season.” Given how prevalent and severe these issues are, it is apparent how eminent this threat to children’s health this practice truly
The National Football League, since establishing it’s name in 1920, has become known for much more than just the sport. In more recent years, the news has reported on scandals involving the NFL and it’s players concerning domestic abuse, cheating scandals and most vividly the issue of concussion related deaths. From the beginning of its time, it has been no secret that football is considered a high-impact sport that comes with cause for injury, such as concussions. What was a secret was the link between concussions and brain disease. Drysdale (2013) noted a concussion occurs when “When the head is in motion and is stopped suddenly, “the skull stops, but the brain, swimming in spinal fluid, continues forward, sometimes striking the rough inner