The Effects of Football Concussions on Medical Sciences
explanatory Essay
1298 words
In 2009, the number of football related head injuries was 46, 948 (“Sports-Related Head”). In recent times, people have become conscious of the dangers of injuries resulting from football. There has been much debate and attention regarding the safety of football specifically in the National Football League (NFL). The issue is mostly dealing with concussions and head injuries suffered by players. The concussion issue in the NFL has driven the research in medical sciences through drug testing and prescription as well as through medical technology. CONCUSSIONS IN THE NFL The number of concussions in the NFL has always been dangerously high; however, it seems that society has been more aware of this fact in the past couple of years. The statistics from the 2011 season on the number of injuries seems to have decreased in the 2012 season, but, the reported number of major injuries (those causing 8 or more days to be missed) actually increased from the 2011 season by a little less than 1, 500 (Kacsmar). The statistics are inaccurate due to the inconsistency of injury and concussions reports, although in the past it was clear that no progress was being made to decrease the number of concussions. Right now, there is major push from society to gain knowledge about concussions. For example, Elizabeth Tracy on behalf of Johns Hopkins Health System reported, “Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, explains, ‘I think we are leaders in this area because it affects our athletes, but it’s also a much broader issue beyond sports. If we can find out more about these injuries, the causes, the treatment, and what can effectively return people back to their normal lifestyle, that’s going to be good for everybody. That’s what we’re hoping to be able t... ... middle of paper ... ...ctims." New Republic. THE NEW REPUBLIC, 17 Nov. 2013. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. . "Sports-Related Head Injury." American Association of Neurological Surgeons. American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Dec. 2011. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. . "Tales From Anfield." Tales From Anfield. N.p., 1 Nov. 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. . Wilson, Ryan. "Goodell: NFL Would Consider Medical Marijuana If It Helps Concussions.“ CBSSports.com. CBS Broadcasting Inc, 23 Jan. 2014. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. .
In this essay, the author
- Explains that people have become aware of the dangers of injuries resulting from football. the concussion issue in the nfl has driven the research in medical sciences through drug testing and prescription.
- Explains that the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsaids) was widespread in the nfl. however, some players misused or overdosed the drug.
- Explains how dr. sponaugle's methods have the potential to diagnose more injuries related and unrelated to football.
- Describes the johns hopkins hospital and john hopkins health system, n.d.
- Explains that the nfl is pushing the research of concussions, and society has largely affected the drive of medical research.
- Explains that although marijuana is illegal in all but 2 states, there is medical research being done to find any potential benefits for treating concussions.
- Explains that improved medical diagnoses, stiffer penalties for striking with a helmet, and fewer practices have helped reduce the number of concussions in the nfl.
- Analyzes belson, ken, "concussions show decline of 13 percent, n.f.l. says." the new york times.
- Narrates jenkins, sally, and rick maese, "pain and pain management in nfl spawn a culture of prescription drug use and abuse."
Related
- analytical
- opinionated
- argumentative
- explanatory
- comparative
- Concussions in the NFLanalytical essayMany memories are made in football, but sadly some of the greatest players cannot recall them. The National Football League has been associated with concussions and brain traumas throughout the years, but lately it has been exposed by media and NFL veterans. The league recently “reached a $765 million preliminary settlement with thousands of former players who were suing the league over its treatment of concussions…” (Waldron). Many former players are experiencing the effects of taking hard hits over and over again; they were not properly treated, which makes the injury worse and long term. The concussion issue in the NFL is more prevalent today, because it affects not only the players, but the league as a whole.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the national football league has been associated with concussions and brain traumas throughout the years, but recently it was exposed by media and nfl veterans. many former players are experiencing the effects of taking hard hits over and over again.
- Analyzes how the nfl started a committee called the mtbi (mild traumatic brain injury) in 1994. dr. elliot pellman's quote shows how concussions didn't hold much importance, even though it should have been the committee’s main focus.
- Narrates how mike webster, a former pittsburgh steeler, brought awareness to brain traumas by claiming to be disabled with the nfl retirement board and having dementia.
- Explains that dr. omalu diagnosed a football player with cte, and two other doctors connected concussions to dementia.
- Explains that the mtbi was still making concussions sound minor, and not a big problem.
- Describes how david duerson, a 50-year-old former chicago bears player, committed suicide to donate his brain to further research.
- Explains that duerson is not the only player dealing with effects of brain trauma during a professional football career. over 240 complaints have been filed against the nfl and how they deal with concussions.
- Explains that the nfl ignored mounting evidence about damage from concussions and tried to dispute emerging science with questionable research of its own.
- Explains that the league finally strengthened their approach to concussions. medical professionals on the sideline now are more prone to look for symptoms.
- Explains that concussions can be fatal if they occur before the brain heals properly. many nfl players are giant and feel untouchable, but they need to be as aware as everyone else.
- Opines that the first few days after a concussion, an athlete needs to be very careful with what they allow themselves to do.
- Explains that concussion prevention techniques can be used especially in football. helmets are the protective gear to help with prevention.
- Explains that football is a very physical game and the chance of preventing any injury is very limited. all doctors agree that helmets will never completely prevent the brain.
- Describes the recent rule changes that were an effect of the settlement, including hitting with the crown, the snapper can never be hit, and late hits.
- Argues that officials should be responsible for removing players suspected of concussions. they argue that if officials are trusted with this power, they should also be able to remove players who are bleeding.
- Opines that the issue of concussions spreads beyond the players alone. many rules and procedures have been manipulated to fit new research on brain traumas.
- Explains that the nfl announces rule changes. the nfl concussion litigation rss.
- Analyzes mcclement, john, mihoces, gary, pennington, bill, smith, stephanie, and smith.
1768 wordsRead More - Persuasive Essay On Concussionsopinionated essayThe National Football League is considered one of the most lucrative sports corporations in the world, with millions of people devoting their Sundays to the nonstop action and intense drama that is the NFL. But, what we don’t see as passionate sports fans is the trauma that our favorite players have to go through each and every play of every game. We watch as a player lies on the ground, but what we don’t notice is the pain that they are going through at that moment. According to Spinal Surgeon Michael Glieber, “Concussions are the most common injury in all levels of football.” Concussions can change an individual’s life in the blink of an eye, it’s not something you can take for granted. In this paper I am analyzing the different views on this devastating roadblock in an athlete’s career. Those views include those who believe more rules should be made to prevent concussions, those who think players should fend for themselves when it comes to the game, and lastly those who are not sure where to stand on this issue. Whatever the case, concussions are a big deal,
In this essay, the author
- Argues that concussions are the most common injury in all levels of football, and that they can change an individual's life in the blink of an eye.
- States that the mayo clinic defines a concussion as traumatic brain injury that alters the way your brain functions.
- Opines that concussions are a part of the game and that players know what they are getting themselves into when they get drafted into the nfl.
- Opines that football is a contact sport, not for wimps and quitters. head and bodily injuries happen at some point in the player's career.
- Explains that football requires full attention, swift practice, and perfect technique. there have been 15 concussions in 2015 in just over a month of play.
- Explains that concussions are a "thorn in the side" of many teams because they can happen anywhere at any time.
- Explains that concussions are a disease that is sweeping the globe in all contact sports, but they are relevant in the national football league.
1095 wordsRead More - Football’s Future in Questionargumentative essayThe number of sports-related concussions throughout the United States have increased dramatically in the past 10 years, which could lead to permanent brain damage or death for the athletes that suffer these concussions. Which is why football has not been sissified in America, the new precautions only make the game safer for those who play it. Football is an ever changing sport in which 300 pound athletes can now run the 40-yard dash in under 4.5 seconds, which would have been nearly impossible for any athlete to run when the sport was just created (Schottey). The NFL has set up safety precautions to help preserve the lives of its’ players, including new penalties added to the game, the teaching of brain trauma to young adults in high school, the long term effects that concussions can leave on people, and the addition of new systems inside of helmets that can track G-forces felt by a player after a large hit.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the nfl has set up safety precautions to help preserve the lives of its players, including new penalties added to the game, the teaching of brain trauma to young adults in high school, and the long term effects that concussions can leave on people.
- Explains that the nfl has created a list of penalties to help keep players safe and on the field. these include the facemask, spearing, and horse-collar penalties.
- Explains that 10% of high school football players playing this year will receive a concussion, and 6% of them will go unreported.
- Analyzes how merril hoge's concussions made him lose his career as an nfl player. he was diagnosed with post-concusion syndrome and is now a football analyst.
- Explains that mips is a support system that trainers use on the sidelines of high school all the way through nfl staged games.
- Opines that football is a man's game and should not change the rules because players get hurt. fans like the contact game because of the big hits that are transferred from player to player.
- Concludes that safety measures need to be set so that future generations of football players do not go through the same life-threatening obstacles.
- States that brain injury; studies suggest 10% of hs football players will suffer a concussion this season.
1079 wordsRead More - Argumentative Essay On Concussionsexplanatory essayOne of the most loved sports in America is professional football; however, it is one of the most dangerous sports. The endless amounts of concussions and head related injuries does not deter the players or fans. The few who are fortunate enough to play in the National Football League typically retire with early-onset Alzheimer’s because of the multiple head injuries they have encountered throughout their career. A few football players have committed suicide because of the brain injuries they receive while playing. To say football is dangerous to one’s health is an understatement.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that professional football is one of the most dangerous sports in america. the endless amounts of concussions and head related injuries does not deter the players or fans.
- Explains that football is a contact sport that causes many head injuries. concussions are common in the national football league because players will do whatever it takes to stop the opposing team.
- Explains that men who retire from the nfl are more prone to neurodegenerative diseases than those who don't play professional football.
- Explains that constant blows to the head can cause athletes to take their own lives. o. j. murdock was the sixth nfl player to commit suicide in two years.
- Explains that not all nfl players retire with brain injuries; however, most do. the nfl gives money to those who research brain injury, but that has not stopped the amount of concussions from rising in the nfl.
453 wordsRead More - Should Children Play Tackle Football?explanatory essayFootball is America’s favorite sport. It is a fast-paced, hard-hitting game. Every week thousands of men and boys all across the country take part in football and every week these men and boys receive violent hits during the game. Frequently, as a result of these violent hits, the player receives a concussion. However, the long-term effects of concussions on players are not fully understood. New research shows that even a slight concussion in a football game can have lasting effects on a player. As a result of this research, children under the age of fourteen should not play tackle football.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that football is america's favorite sport. it is fast-paced and hard-hitting. the long-term effects of concussions on players are not fully understood.
- Explains that football has been considered a manly sport since its inception. however, it's dangerous, and the number of football-related injuries increased 27 percent during the 18-year study period.
- Explains that concussions occur regularly on the football field and have always been an injury associated with football.
- Explains that most of the deaths attributed to concussions from playing football are older boys and men. however, david sumner, a ten-year-old from simi valley, california, died from head injuries sustained while playing.
- Explains that dr. robert cantu, the director of boston university's center for the study of traumatic encephalopathy, has been a leader in this research.
- Explains how dr. cantu describes two types of acceleration that create a concussion to the brain: linear acceleration and rotational acceleration.
- Explains how the nfl began to acknowledge the effects of repeated concussions in professional players. commissioner roger goodell introduced a stricter policy to protect the health and safety of nfl players and set the best possible example.
- Explains that while the long-term effects of concussions on adults are documented, there is less research available on the effects on a child.
- Explains that a concussion can cause chemical changes in the brain, causing fatigue, memory loss, lack of concentration, and an inability to stay focused.
- Explains that a study conducted by virginia tech and wake forest universities proved that children playing football receives hits to the head equal to professional athletes.
- Explains that a child's body isn't fully developed, and that the brain damage caused by concussions is more severe. rotational forces are greater for children, proportional to the severity of the hit.
- Explains second impact syndrome, which occurs when a child receives another concussion, before an older one heals. the majority of victims of second impact syndrome are under the age of eighteen, all of them male.
- Explains that second impact syndrome is a rare but usually fatal condition. carrol, linda, and david rosner. the concussion crisis: anatomy of the silent epidemic.
- Explains that daniel, ray w., steven rowson, and stefan m. duma. “head impact exposure in youth football.” annals of biomedical engineering.
- Explains that newton’s football: the science behind americas game. ballantine books, 2013.
- Analyzes how mihoces, gary, and nation, a. d., et al. weighed the risks of youth football in the context of a concussion debate.
- Analyzes yates, keith, et al., longitudinal trajectories of postconcussive symptoms in children with mild traumatic brain injuries and their relation to acute clinical status. pediatrics.
1412 wordsRead More - The Importance Of Concussions In The NFLexplanatory essayThe NFL knew what could happen with concussions for a long time but didn’t want to say anything about it. In the graph it shows that there was only 162 concussions in 2011, but then the next year in 2012 the concussions about doubled with 261 concussions. In 2012 there was more kick returns than there was 2013. 2015 had the highest amount of concussions from 2008-2015 with 271 concussions. There was 54 concussions just in preseason and 45 in 2016. From 2008- 2012 the concussions kept going up every year. This year there has been a lot of NFL players just getting injured in practice either a big injury like a torn ACL or a small injury like an ankle
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the nfl knew what could happen with concussions for a long time but didn't want to say anything about it.
122 wordsRead More - The Dangers Of Concussions And Footballexplanatory essayConcussions and football are a very common combination. Some of the effects that concussions can permanently give you is kinda scary. Every person will have different effects. With the combination of, getting them and the dangers of them, people began to question if football is safe, some people questioned if the steps for diagnosing and clearing concussions was good enough to properly protect the players. Due to all the concussions and people getting on the NFL’s case, the league made some rule changes to protect the players even more. Coaching is always important, and coaching can play a big role in how to teach the players to be safe out on the
In this essay, the author
- Explains that concussions and football are a common combination. the nfl made some rule changes to protect the players.
113 wordsRead More - The Importance Of Concussions In Footballopinionated essayFasten your seatbelt and hold on tight as you're about to experience the best essay roller coaster of your life. It includes loops, straight down drops, and twists. So teacher, or whoever is reading this, kick back, relax and enjoy the next two to five minutes of the best essay you’ll ever read about concussions and realizing that it will be the best five minutes of your life!
In this essay, the author
- Urges readers to relax and enjoy the next two to five minutes of the best essay they'll ever read about concussions.
- Opines that concussions aren't necessary to be a big deal, but they can cause mental problems on and off the field. one in thirty youth players, one in fourteen high school, and one out of twenty college players have experienced one.
- Explains that concussions can be prevented by better helmets, less contact practice, and limited hitting drills.
- Opines that concussions can be limited by adding gupta's new padding for the helmet. they are big in football and other sports like, soccer, and hockey.
762 wordsRead More - Concussions in Sportsexplanatory essayJunior Seau was one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL during his 20 playing years, amassing over 1,500 tackles, and delivering an insurmountable number of hits. In 2011, shortly after retiring, he abruptly committed suicide by shooting himself. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted a study on Seau’s brain and diagnosed him with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head trauma (Pilon and Belson). Seau is among countless other former players whose careers’ of playing football changed their lives forever. Former quarterback Terry Bradshaw told USA Today about how poor his mental health has become. He says, “I couldn’t focus and remember things, and I was dealing with depression” (Breslow, “NFL Concussions: The 2013-14 Season in Review”). Seau’s death and Bradshaw’s decline link to a growing epidemic in today’s sports: concussions. Recently, concussions increased in contact sports, specifically football (Breslow, “What We’ve Learned from Two Years of Tracking Concussions”). This increase, along with better awareness and pressure from lawsuits and the media, led to research for better concussion diagnostic technology and rule changes in football. Concussions and the effects associated with them forced football to evolve, for the better.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that junior seau was one of the best middle linebackers in the nfl during his 20 playing years. his death and bradshaw's decline link to a growing epidemic in today’s sports: concussions
- Explains that concussions are traumatic brain injuries caused by a force to the head or direct force on the face, neck or chest. the nfl and the world of sports paid attention to this alarming trend.
- Explains that media and the lawsuit by former nfl players put even more pressure on the nfl to act on concussion epidemic. former players, a congressional committee, and even president obama are active in speaking out against the league.
- Explains that these factors led to several rule changes in the nfl aimed to limit head injuries and helmet-to-helmet contact in football, along with research in new technology in helmets and the science behind concussions.
- Explains that sports leagues, athletes talk concussions with dc lawmakers, and belson, ken.
- Explains breslow, jason m., "nfl concussions: the 2013-14 season in review." wgbh educational foundation.
- Explains what they've learned from two years of tracking nfl concussions.
- Explains the comprehensive concussion center at jefferson university hospitals.
- Explains dekosky, steven t., milos d. ikonomovic, and sam gandy, "traumatic brain injury- football, warfare and long-term effects."
- Describes trends in concussion indence in high school sports in the american journal of sports medicine.
- Explains that "new nfl rules designed to limit head injuries." the national football league.
- States pilon, mary, and ken belson, "junior seau's death classified as a suicide."
845 wordsRead More - Football Injuries Essaycomparative essayFootball is one of the most popular and most viewed sports in the nation; people of every race and ethnicity love to watch the game of football, but when playing this sport, participants must always account for injuries that occur such as ligament tears and brain, neck, and spinal injuries, all of which can produce short and long term effects on a player’s life.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that football is one of the most popular and most viewed sports in the nation, but participants must always account for injuries that occur such as ligament tears and brain, neck, and spinal injuries, all of which can produce short and long term effects on a player’s life.
- Explains the main types of traumatic knee injuries: tearing/spraining of the anterior cruciate ligament (acl) and medial collateral ligament.
- Explains that ankle sprains are a frequent injury in football because of the field of play and different cutting motions involved in the sport. shoulder injuries are less common than other traumatic injuries, but they still occur.
- Explains the signs of a concussion, including headaches, dizziness, nausea, loss of balance, drowsiness and blurry vision, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
- Explains that injuries suffered by retired national football league players are still felt every morning when they wake up.
- Explains that osteoarthritis affects the hands, knees, hip, and spine. national football league players are three times more likely to have fatalities from neurodegenerative diseases than the rest of the united states.
- Explains that there is no one specific way to prevent these types of injuries, but there are ways to strengthen these ligaments, muscles, and joints in the body. hydrating before and after practice is a necessity.
- Recommends proper fitting helmets, shoulder pads, cleats and mouth guards. athletes should also undergo a proper medical evaluation to asses overall health and wellness.
- Recommends that an athlete's body should be in good physical condition during the off-season, including aerobic exercises, balance fitness, strength training, and flexibility.
- Explains that usa football's heads up tackling program teaches youth the proper skill and standards for the player’s safety.
- Opines that football injuries are something people hate to see and experience but are all a part of the game. athletes should be very careful and try to prevent injuries.
1802 wordsRead More