Concussions Sports have been around since the beginning of mankind. As a result, so have injuries, including concussions. Concussions have been a part of sports ever since the beginning. But recently concussions have become a focal point for coaches, athletes, and parents. Just in case you were ever confused on what a concussion is, “A concussion is when a person’s brain suddenly shifts or shakes inside the skull and can knock against the skull’s surface … causing bruising” (Liberty). The problem that parents, coaches, and athletes are so worried about right now is that studies have shown that more than 80 percent of concussions go unreported or undiagnosed (Vox). A result of unreported or undiagnosed concussions is that the players who …show more content…
First coaches, players, and parents need to be educated about concussions. This education should include information about symptoms, long lasting effects and the consequences of concussions going unreported. This will help because players can not only evaluate themselves but their fellow teammates. When athletes know the consequences of not reporting a concussion it will ensure that players will report their worries about being concussed with their coaches or athletic trainers. The negative reinforcements is not to punish the players for getting the concussion but knowingly playing while having one. By Negative reinforcements I mean the athletes would punished by being suspended the season for playing while knowingly having a concussion .Another way to reduce concussions would be to have the players with concussions or concerns about being concussed, to undergo both the neurological testing and the cognitive testing. This will take more time and will take away from the athletes playing on the field but it will be much more beneficial in the end. And players would not return to play until they pass both tests. This would help because neither test is perfect by itself at detecting a concussion but both used together would help overlap each other allowing concussions to be better detected. This would not be favorite option because the cognitive testing involves computers, making it harder for some organizations. But in the interests of keeping concussed players off of the field it will be
Injuries are a huge part in professional sports. When playing a professional sport athletes do not always take into consideration that their bodies are vulnerable to injuries. One of the leading injuries that can end athlete’s career is concussion. According Kia Boriboon author of the article “Concussion Management In Football: Don 't Shake It Off” concussion occurs when the brain repeatedly collides with the skull. Concussions are serious and cannot be taken lightly they are detrimental to a person’s athletic career as well as life. Players who have suffered from a concussion or like symptoms of a concussion are at risk and should not continue playing their sport until cleared by a medical doctor, who is an expert in concussions. If concussions are not treated with the appropriate medical care, it can cause physical and mental health problems for athletes well after their professional career have ended. In
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
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
Even though the devastation of concussions is just rising to the surface, they have always been around. In 1994, the NFL started a committee called the MTBI (Mild Traumatic Brain Injury). Dr. Elliot Pellman was appointed as chair, and he was quoted saying, “We think the issue of knees, of drugs and steroids and drinking is a far greater problem, according to the number of incidents” (Ezell). This quote shows how concussions did not hold much importance, even though it should have been the committee's main focus. This is ironic, because in today’s sport world concussions are a highly talked about topic. They hold such significance that some rules are even being changed to lower the risk for players.
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...
Concussions can spring from practically anywhere; at home during cleaning, playing catch in the yard, or even slipping and falling. One of the most common reasons concussions happen is from sports, most often from football. It should be common knowledge on the symptoms of a concussion and what to do to help it heal, especially coaches. Because of the mindset that coaches give towards their players and the spirit of the game, athletes do not report their injuries to their coaches. One reports states, “The culture of sports negatively influences athletes’ self-reporting of concussion symptoms and their adherence to return-to-play guidance” (Waldron). This means that athletes could have any injury, not just a concussion, and they would be afraid to tell the coach because they are afraid of getting taken out of the game. More coaches, however, are starting to come around to educating the team and support staff about head injuries. Some coaches are actually sitting their teams down and making them watch a video on what happens during a concussion. In one report, the athletes said that after they watched the video, “they would be su...
What does the word concussion mean to you? Does it mean to become unconscious, or merely a change in consciousness? The definition of a concussion is just a change in consciousness. Common signs of concussions include; memory problems, confusion, nausea or vomiting, or balance problems. Concussions have been a problem in sports for many years. You will see what some experts have to say about effects of concussions and what they really are.
At the snap of the ball a whole players world could come crashing down. The game of football holds a whooping 47% of all concussions reported in the world, while ice hockey and soccer trail behind. Football is America’s sport and its athletes become the world’s pride and joy, but what happens when an athlete is injured and is struggling to mentally get better. This topic hits close to home for me because it was the one sport my family praised and adored. My older brother who is now twenty five, played highschool football for the Laconia Sachems. Just the name Sachems is enough to make me get the chills. In 2007 the Laconia Sachems the only undefeated team to go on to win the New Hampshire state championship saw success, but my brother went
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
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).
In one article I researched it explains why concussions need to be taking serious in schools and with younger kids. The big problem is that educations at schools don’t focus enough on head injuries and what can come from them. They don’t understand concussions and how seriously they are. They should know at a young age kids getting into physical activities at younger ages and can still receive concussions and brain damage. Special programs need to be implemented into the schools educating on concussions and injuries. Concussions can not only affect sports and balance, it can also affect schooling and psychological wellbeing. More kids are in the hospitals for sports related injuries than anything else, the concussion clinic sees two to three
Many people hear the term “concussion” but most likely don’t know what it actually is so what are concussions? A concussion is basically bruising of the brain, for example if you experience a head to head collision your brain can bounce off the inside of your skull causing this bruising. But it isn’t just bruising that occurs it’s also torn tissue and broken blood vessels on the brain from these collisions. If you are someone who doesn’t know much about concussions this can show you how painful, scary, and dangerous they must be. In a game such as football players are hitting another player head to head well over 40 times a game. How do kids as young as 7 years old all the way up to grown men in their 30’s deal with this? It is one of the biggest problems occurring with this sport and it needs a solution.
With concussions, its in all sports but its more highly seened in football because of the physicality and constant head to head blows. “The NFL says reported concussions in regular-season games rose 58 percent from 2014 to 2015 -- the highest number (182) in any of the past four years”. Then this season already it is getting dramatically worse. Diagnosed concussions rose by nearly 32 percent in the NFL this season, according to data released Friday by the league. The NFL has try to make strides by having medical doctors on the sideline to evaluate those players who made have a concussion. But this isn’t the full solution to help reduce concussions in the NFL. For example during opening night the Panthers was playing the Broncos. Cam Newton took multiple shots to the head and went to the sideline, and after answering some questions the team let him go back in the game. One way to avoid concussions its start with the players. The players need learn how to not lead with their head to reduce some of the high impact collisions. The NFL seems like they make a step forward when it comes to concussions, then taking one step backwards. Concussions for athletes can be days,weeks even months if not treated the right way. “Dementia has been noted to develop in retired NFL players who have experienced repeated concussions during their careers”. Along with that one concussion suffered can lead to future health problems. Hall of famer David Robinson son is another football player retiring from football due to concussions he have suffered.” Corey Robinson was a football player at Notre Dame and he has suffered 3
The reason why High school football should be minimize of brain injuries is because of all the brain injuries and brain tumors. These concerns really have affected high school football players to accept college degrees for football for example: The study, which was an analysis of peer-reviewed studies on head trauma in a variety of high school sports, estimated that high school football players suffered 11.2 concussions for every 10,000 games and practices. Among college players, the rate stood at 6.3 and about 300,000 football players get concussions per year. Also these concussions can lead to brain disease and that can lead you towards suicide. Another reason is that concussion can also give you memory loss
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year emergency departments treat an estimated 135,000 children ages five to eighteen for sports-related brain injuries (National). Most of these injuries are concussions, and the children recover. The long term effects on children who suffer repeated concussions, even mild ones, is still not known. It’s hard to imagine a child as a disabled, middle-aged man, but repeated concussions could put a child at risk for severe conditions such as early onset dementia, Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders that require neurosurgery, but no one wants to think about while on the sidelines at a football game.