Stricter Concussion Protocol Should Be Required At All Levels Of Football

1784 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay about football safety

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. A concussion is defined as temporary unconsciousness caused by a blow to the head or a violent shock from a heavy blow. The force transmitted to the head causes the brain to hit the skull, which causes the brain to swell. The symptoms of a concussion can appear immediately after contact or they may subtle and may not appear right away. The symptoms of a concussion can vary in length. There are many different symptoms to a concussion: "Common symptoms after a concussive traumatic brain injury are headache, loss of memory (amnesia) and confusion" (Mayo). Other symptoms that may be involved with a concussion include loss of consciousness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, slurred speech, and fatigue. There are also symptoms that may not occur immediately, but may be delayed hours or days after. These symptoms include difficulty concentrating, sensitivity to light, and sleep disturbances. An athlete should ... ... middle of paper ... ...col to the NFL and they also use the stepwise progression. The progression can only start after a player has return to all baseline functioning and proper balance. A player has 5 days to complete the 6 step progression. The first two steps: Light aerobic exercise and intense aerobic exercise may be completed in the same day. The next step is football practice without head impact. They can then participate in non-contact drills with resistance training. If still no symptoms are shown, they can return to full-contact practice. They are ready to play after they have passed full-contact practice. If they show symptoms at any of the steps though, they must start from the beginning. High school and youth football have a similar stance for their concussion protocol. The steps are required to be completed and a doctor must clear the athlete before he is allowed to play again.

Show More
Related

  • Cost of Glory: The Issues Surrounding Football Injuries

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    Playing football comes with great costs, including physical and mental health deterioration, plus the amount of time spent prepping before game day. Which can pose several questions, “Why suffer for a game, is it worth the money? Is it worth the fame? How great is the cost?” I believe that football, should have stricter regulations for the treatment of injuries, along with informing players of just how devastating a concussion can be, along with the other major injuries that commonly occur while playing football.

    Read More

  • Libertarianism in the NFL

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    Johnson, L. M. (2012). Return to Play Guidelines Cannot Solve the Football-Related Concussion Problem. Journal of School Health, 82(4), 180-185.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech About Concussions

    1759 Words  | 4 Pages

    Most players just want to get back in the game. The average concussion recovery time is about 1-2 weeks. When you get a concussion you can not do any physical activity. After you do not do any activities you can do slight activities, if you get oked by the doctor at your checkup. When you do go in the activity stage then you can keep up the activities as long as you do not get any headaches. At the next checkup the doctor will see if you can go into practice with contact. All these steps if you get headaches then the player will have to tell doctor about it. If you do not have any problems then you can go into games, what the player has waited for through the whole recovery.

    Read More

  • College Essay On Concussions

    345 Words  | 1 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Head Trauma In Athletes

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    A. Background 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). As common as concussions were during the late 1970s and 1980s, they were often swept under the rug, as they were seen as insignificant injuries.

    Read More

  • The Concussion Problem in Professional and Amateur Football

    2124 Words  | 5 Pages

    Concussions have become arguably the #1 most prevalent issue in football today. The number of concussions throughout football has been rising for the past 20-30 years and there seems no way of stopping them. However, the NFL and many private researchers are set on finding a way to conquer this issue. They want to stop these concussions from happening and prevent the diseases resulting from them that have ruined so many football families’ lives. In order to solve this problem, I think that these researchers need to combine all of their knowledge to solve an issue that so many want solved. As soon as we conquer this “illness” we can return to enjoying the game that we love.

    Read More

  • Effects of Concussions in Youth Sports

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • The Effects of Concussions on Human Beings

    1295 Words  | 3 Pages

    A concussion is a temporary loss of normal brain function, and can be described in three different ways: mild, moderate, or severe (Schafer). The worse one’s concussion is, the more dangerous the effects of it are. People usually get a concussion when they are playing high intensity sports. There are other things that could cause a concussion. One might have been in a motor vehicle accident, or they could have done something as simple as falling and hitting their head. Every time a person receives a blow to the head they damage their brain. It is hard to tell how much damage one has done to their brain, because doctors cannot see it from the outside of their brain (Haas).

    Read More

  • What Is The Informative Speech About Concussions

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to The Mayo Clinic, “the most common symptoms of a concussion are headache or pressure in the head, confusion or feeling foggy, appearing dazed, fatigue and delayed response to questions.”

    Read More

  • Should Children Play Tackle Football?

    1412 Words  | 3 Pages

    Concussions occur regularly on the football field and have always been an injury associated with football. They occur at all levels from little league to the NFL. One of the earliest reported concussion...

    Read More

  • Technology and Regulation of Sports Helmet Safety

    1362 Words  | 3 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • Concussions In Sports

    1985 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • What Can be Done to Help Prevent Concussions

    2270 Words  | 5 Pages

    Concussions are an injury to the brain caused by bump, or blow to the head or body. They can occur even when you haven’t even been knocked unconscious. Concussions can not be seen, but you can notice when someone has received one. (Center for Disease Control). The symptoms are Headaches, nausea, vomiting, balance problems, blurry vision, and memory problems or confusion. Also difficulty paying attention, bothered by lights or loud noises and feeling sluggish are sure symptoms of a concussion. (CDC 2). Even though concussions can’t be fully prevented, scientists are doing their best to find ways to decrease the amount of concussions that happen per year.

    Read More

  • Concussions in the NFL

    1768 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Concussions Should Be Banned

    1337 Words  | 3 Pages

    Bam! A player will head the soccer ball an average of twelve times during a game, thirty or more times during a drill in practice, and hundreds and thousands of times during a season. In the article, Frequent Soccer Ball ‘Heading’ May Lead to Brain Injury the Albert Einstein College of Medicine has estimated that a soccer ball can travel up to speeds of sixty-seven mph when a player kicks it. If a player heads the ball that many times at those speeds, think of what could be happening to a player’s brain. Concussions are becoming national headliners in today’s news, with many players suffering from the effects of concussions. Football’s struggles with player concussions have been well documented over the past few years, but what people do not

    Read More

More about Stricter Concussion Protocol Should Be Required At All Levels Of Football

Open Document