The concussion rates among high school, collegiate, and professional athletes is increasing at an alarming rate. The United States alone reports 1.6 to 3.8 million cases of sport-related concussions per year2-4, 9, 12. The 1.6 to 3.8 million does not account for the large number of concussions that remain unreported by athletes2-4, 9, 12. According to McCrory et al., a concussion is defined as a complex pathophysiological process that disturbs the brain, which is prompted by traumatic biomechanical forces 10. Sports- related concussions are one of the most complex injuries, which makes them difficult to assess. The cerebral functional deficits that occur in one athlete may be completely the opposite from another athlete3-4. Studies conducted by both Sosnoff and Broglio (et al.) uncovered that more than fifty percent of high school athletes failed to inform medical personnel following an injury .2,12
Athletic trainers, as well as other sports medicine professionals, need to be thorough in the assessment protocol and cautious in return to play decisions. An extensive assessment is imperative because of the potential for a catastrophic consequence due to a premature return to participation, or the risk of a second-impact syndrome that may prove to be fatal8, 11. Second- impact syndrome can be characterized as a serve form of re-injury that involves the rapid swelling of the brain and herniation 6. The individual receives a second head injury prior to the full recovery of the brain from the first head injury6. The second impact may be caused by either a direct blow to the head or a blow elsewhere that results in an indirect acceleration of the brain6. Therefore, an athlete suspected of sustaining a concussion should not be overloo...
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...lins M. The relationship between post concussion symptoms and neurocognitive performance in concussed athletes. Neuro Rehabilitation 22.(2007)207-216
18. Collins M, Iverson G, Lovell M, McKeag D, Norwig J, Maroon J. On-field predictors of neuropsychological and symptom deficit following sports-related concussion. Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine.2003; 13:222-229
19. Randolph C. Baseline neuropsychological testing in managing sport-related concussion: does it modify risk? Current Sports Medicine Reports.2011;10(1): 21-26
20. Brooks D. Use of computer based testing of youth hockey players with concussions. Neuro Rehabilitation 22. (2007) 169-179
21. Collie A, Maruff P, McStephen M, Darby D. Are reliable change(RC) calculations appropriate for determining the extent of cognitive change in concussed athletes? British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2003;37(4):370-376
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.
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).
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
Herring, Stanley A., and Kathleen R. Bell. "Youth Sports Concussions, An Issue of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics." Google Books. Ed. George H. Kraft, MD,MS. Elsevier Health Sciences., Nov. 2011. Web. 08 May 2014. .
Concussions are very common. In the United States alone 1.4 million people suffer from concussions annually (Schafer). Researchers studied fifty brains of people who have suffered from concussions t...
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease attributed to single, sporadic, or repetitive brain trauma, including concussions and subconcussive hits (Baugh et al., 2012; Wortzel et al., 2013). This disease was originally referred to as dementia pugilistica, and nicknamed “punch drunk,” because individuals suffering from this disorder would present symptoms that were similar to someone’s mannerisms while being intoxicated (Wortzel et al., 2013). This “drunken” behavior is thought to be attributed to the cognitive, mood, and behavioral alterations as a result of the repetitive hits to the brain over an extended period of time. Because individuals suffering from this disease are often exposed to conditions that allow them to sustain blows to the head multiple times, the populations most often examined in these studies are athletes (football, boxing, rugby) and/or individuals in the military (McKee et al., 2009). Individuals can be symptom free for several years (Baugh et al., 2012). The onset of symptoms are sometimes seen about eight to ten years after an individual retires from their sport, which roughly equates to someone aged thirty to fifty yeas old (Baugh et al., 2012; Wortzel et al., 2013; Karantzoulis and Randolph, 2013). As with all diseases, symptoms can range from mild to severe. Researchers have found a positive correlation between the number of brain injuries sustained during a length of time playing a sport and the severity of symptoms (McKee et al., 2009).
Vaughn, Christopher, Gerard Gioia and Maegan Sady. “School Problems following Sports Concussion. Which Children Are at Greatest Risk?” British Journal Of Sports Medicine. 47.5 (2012) : 47-51 Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
Adirim, Terry A. “Concussions in Sports and Recreation.” Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine 8.1 (2007): 2-6. Print.
"Incidence of Concussion in High School Football Players of Ohio and Pennsylvania." Journal of Child Neurology. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. .
Confusion on the definition of a concussion can affect athletes, coaches and trainers when it comes to diagnosing a concussion. The knowledge to know the signs and symptoms of a concussion can reduce the short, medium, and long-term consequences of them. Signs of a concussion could be an inability to focus, vomiting, nausea, dizziness, and slurred speech. Concussions have been around for many years. More and more research is being conduction on concussions as the years pass for a better understanding. As a better understanding of concussion is being researched, sports teams should force and make better rules when it comes to hitting players. Athletes that has had a concussion can suffer from short-term symptoms like verbal delay or long-term symptoms like a disability. Helmets are being improved constantly, but the reduction of concussions is not decreasing. Reduction of concussion starts with the player reporting his injury. After reporting the injury, the proper steps can be taken to get rid of symptoms and prevent the likeliness of the injury from happening again. To prevent to the likeliness of the injury to reoccur the athlete must take time away from the sport and spend a certain amount of time recovery. Before returning back to play, the athlete must be check for readiness. Readiness can be checked by testing the athlete’s behavior and abilities. Sports come with pros and cons. The pros can be working with others to complete the same objective while having fun. The con can be simply suffering from a concussion. So an athlete has to be willing and well educated on the sport he or she wants to play before committing to a certain
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
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).
Doctors and researchers are progressing greatly on prevention of concussions. One way that is being pushed in bettering equipment to prevent concussions. Another way is educating young athletes on symptoms of concussions, and effects so they know the importance of treating them correctly. Concussions are part of sports, so instead of working to eliminate them fully, right now researchers are focusing on prevention and treatment. According to information found on the website Forbes.com “ While Alberts says the risk of brain injury is naturally higher among football players because of their profession, what medical experts don’t know are the effects of variables such as repeated blows, genetics and how providing more recovery time can help reduce potential damage (David Lariviere)”. This article shows that there are several factors after concussions that are crucial toward prevention. Understanding the type of concussion and the recovery time is also very important. Concussions can be prevented, but there are certain steps and variables that are important towards