What happens when the brain is injured (i.e., concussion)?
Nowadays, head injuries are a main cause of morbidity in the United States. Statistics have shown that there are a huge number of people who present a concussion each year. Moreover, certain groups of the population have more risk of these injuries. Damage to a specific region of the brain cortex can be diagnosed with precise symptoms. In addition, cataloging the patient’s deficits is the only method that specialists can use to determine if something serious had occurred in the concussed brain. In sports, the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool is the most used.
In reference to the National Head Injury statistics, in 2003 there were 1,224,000 emergency visits, 290,000 hospitalizations, and 51,000 deaths because of head injuries (McCrea, 2008, p. 3). This makes it necessary to recognize the importance of concussions, also called Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and to identify the signs and symptoms.
A concussion is a disturbance in the brain functions produced by a direct blow to the head, neck, face or any part of the body that transmits the impulse force to the head. This type of brain injury is very common in sports. Besides athletes, coaches, people in general should be educated about the detection, assessment
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Approximately 500,000 children per year suffer a concussion in the United States which makes it one of the gravest health problems in young people. Therefore, concussions are the predominant cause of death and disability in childhood and adolescence. Moreover, at least 80,000 persons, 65 years old or older, go to emergency departments each year because of a head injury; most of them need to be hospitalized. Another factor that influences an individual’s risk of suffering a TBI is gender. Men report a higher amount of concussions than women; rates for males are almost twice that of females (McCrea, 2008, p.
Moser, R. S., Schatz, P., & Jordan, B. D. (2005). Prolonged effects of concussion in high school athletes. Neurosurgery, 57(2), 300-306.
A concussion may be caused by a blow, bump, or jolt to the head or by any fall or hit that jars the brain. A concussion causes the brain to work longer and harder. A concussion affects the mental stamina and function of the brain. Even though concussions are very serious and potentially life threatening to the young athlete, studies show that less than 50% of high school athletes will report their concussions. Almost all athletes
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.
Thesis: Concussions affect children and adults of all ages causing physical, emotional and metal trauma to a person and their brain.
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. Concussions occur time after time throughout different sporting events and many are familiar with the word concussion, but what really is a concussion?
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.
Concussions are an injury that falls under the Traumatic Brain Injury category. A concussion occurs when a force causes the brain to rock back and forth inside the skull, and hit the interior walls of the skull. When this happens it can result in bruising on two parts of the brain, the Coup and the Countercoup. This may result in Loss of consciousness, confusion, headaches, nausea or vomiting, blurred vision, and loss of short-term memory. I know from experience the nausea and blurred vision. I noticed that during what I thought was a concussion though after the initial hits my ears would ring and give me very painful headaches.
You will see what some experts have to say about the effects of concussions and what they really are. David Camarillo, a former football player, discusses why helmets do not protect against concussions in his TedTalk. He starts off his discussion by saying “a repeated history of concussion can lead to early dementia such as Alzheimer’s.” (Camarillo, TedTalk). Mild traumatic brain injuries affect as many as 1.7 million Americans and more.
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
Concussions, a concern for many athletes in high school, college, and pro sports. By definition, a concussion is a severe injury to the brain that alters the way it functions and many people die from having one. In a study, a total of 167 high school athletes suffered a concussion playing football, soccer, lacrosse, or cheerleading. The number of concussions has been reduced over the years, but are still a major issue. In pro football, people tend to blame the NFL for the concussions, but the players are the real people to blame for this issue.
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.
So, what is a concussion? The article at concussionfoundation.org states that “Concussions are an invisible injury, but the consequences are real. Rapid acceleration or deceleration of brain tissue within the skull causes brain tissue to change shape and can stretch and damage brain cells. A few years ago, athletes were encouraged to "shake it off" and tough out dings and bell ringers. Thanks to recent research, we now know that concussions are serious, and shrugging them off can have serious consequences.
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...
As a result of many deaths of professional athletes through suicide as well as general concern for health, concussion awareness and testing is as high as it’s ever been. Precautions and tests are currently being set up in almost sports in the attempt to diminish the long term effects. Although the symptoms and exact recovery time are still unknown, doctors and researchers are sure that concussions and other forms of head impacts can have long term effects that can present serious issues throughout the rest of these individual’s lives. The risk of potential damage to the brain increases as the number of concussions increase. In the athletics, players deliver and absorb many hits to the head which a primary reason why rules and regulations at a levels of football, for example, are changing to try and decrease the number of concussions received by players and to make the game safer to those who play it. However these head injuries are not just restricted to athletics, roughly three million Americans have brain injuries every year, half of which are considered serious (Dekosky 2010). Also, many of our nation’s brave men and women suffer traumatic head injuries that take months, even years to fully recover from. Though the exact number of concussions in soldiers can be completely accurate, many army officials believe it to be around eighteen percent (Charles 2008).