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Effects of concussions on nfl players
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A concussion is defined as a “mild traumatic brain injury that may cause physical, cognitive, affective and sleep dysfunction” (Yorke). It is usually caused by a direct blow to the head, face, or neck. Ordinarily, when the brain slams against the inside of the skull it will not make one lose consciousness. The person also does not show certain signs of a concussion, making it difficult to find out whether they have a concussion or not. Many players sustained a concussion in practices, preseason games, and/or regular season games in 2015. These numbers grew thirty percent from 2014. The head injuries that occurred during the regular season by themselves went up sixty percent, from 115 to 182 (Breslow). These injuries can lead to serious brain …show more content…
Long-term effects of concussions are very rare. Moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause symptoms similar to a concussion, but individuals with these TBIs often experience more severe problems with attention and focusing on easy tasks. Also, depression later in life is a big issue with people who have experienced numerous concussions. If this does not happen then it might cause Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which is a “progressive tauopathy, characterized by the deposition of tau protein in the form of neurofibrillary tangles within the superficial cortical layer of the frontal and temporal lobes” …show more content…
They can cause many long and short term effects on the brain. When looking for a concussion in may be hard to identify whether one has one or not, but one can determine if they have this by symptoms. Some symptoms include being dizzy, not feeling like themselves, and not being able to complete simple tasks. Also, when dealing with concussions, one does not want to receive more than one of these because it can lead to CTE which kills the brain even more. They usually only get CTE if they have had multiple concussions. Another thing to remember with concussions are, if someone has a concussion they should sit out of all activities so they can allow for their brain to heal. If they don’t do this and they risk themselves going out to play it could be fatal. This is because if the brain is not done healing and the concussed player receives another concussion during the time he could make the concussion irreversible. It 's also important to know that kids between the ages of eight and twelve should not be partaking in activities where they could seriously damage their head. If they do that, they could ruin the rest of their lives. Another reason why sports leagues need to do more to help prevent these concussions. Concussions do not just occur in football, in fact, they happen in baseball, hockey, at work, and sometimes just one wrong jolt to the head could make the brain hit the
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
To understand the issue of concussions in the NFL we must first understand exactly what a concussion is. A concussion is a minor traumatic brain injury that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull. Severe concussions can cause loss of consciousness and/or forgetfulness. However, you do not need to lose consciousness to have a concussion. Minor concussions usually cause headache, nausea, dizziness, and tiredness. An NFL study showed that most concussions occur when one player delivered a hit to the side of the head of another, and when the player was either standing still or moving slowly. These hits that cause concussions pack an average force of 980-pounds. Concussions affect professional athletes as well as amateur or youth football players. Studies have shown that high school football players are nearly twice as likely to get concussions as college football players and high school athletes in other sports. Also, they show that 47% of high school football players say they suffer a concussion each season. As a result about 250,000 people under the age of 19 went to the emergency room with concussions in 2009, compared with 150,000 in 2001.
Not many sports are as physically demanding on the human body as football. The physical toll that football players pay is almost impossible to comprehend unless one has actually played the sport for a significant amount of time. However, until recently any connection between the hits taken by football players and their health down the road was largely ignored. A common, yet difficult injury to detect in football is a concussion, the most common traumatic brain injury (Pearce). A concussion is defined as “a brain injury that is caused by a sudden blow to the head or the body. The blow shakes the brain inside the skull, which temporarily prevents the brain from working normally” (Heiner pa.5). Reports and studies have surfaced shedding light on just how much damage is inflicted upon the brain due to crippling hits. These studies suggest that NFL athletes who received concussions suffered lasting damage to the brain, which opens the gate to a multitude of other health issues such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and clinical depression (Pearce). This is an aspect of the game that not many are aware of and it is a serous issue that needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later. There have been too many heartbreaking stories such as that of Justin Strzelcyk who heard voices and died in a crash while fleeing police or that of Andre Waters who shot himself in the head after struggles with depression (Zarda pa.1). Many current and former players are suffering in silence; this shouldn’t be the case. The National Football League needs to extend a hand to former players debilitated by head injuries. The problem of concussions and other head injuries in the NFL is one that needs to be tackled head on.
The very first step to solving the concussion problem is to train coaches how to spot a concussion. The most common symptoms are: headache, sensitivity to light and/or sound, trouble remembering plays, dizziness, nausea, and balance problems. Players suspected of having a concussion must be removed from the game or practice immediately. A concussion is described as a “mild traumatic brain injury” because it is not usually life threatening if treated properly. That name does not indicate the possible consequences if an athlete returns to play too soon.
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...
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?
Many people do not understand that a concussion does not simply go away in a few days, it can last up to a couple months. "Most concussions and other mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) should completely resolve within one to six weeks. Some people, however, experience post-concussion syndrome (PCS) with symptoms lasting longer than this. Post-concussion syndrome can include physical, cognitive, and emotional problems” (Cornell). Most brain injuries take one to six weeks to heal. Although, some people suffer from post-concussion syndrome, this is where the symptoms last a bit longer. Concussions usually aren’t crazily severe but, when they are these injuries can be easily mistaken by other severe brain injuries. "Long-term effects of concussions are very rare. Moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause symptoms similar to a concussion, but individuals with these TBIs often experience more severe problems with attention and short-term memory, have difficulty performing daily tasks, and report feeling “slower” overall” (Cornell). Even though long-term effects are rather rare they can still occur. Furthermore, concussions can sometimes get confused with severe traumatic brain injuries because, they often have the same symptoms. Long-term concussions can affect the brain and make it difficult to
As CTE progresses, it can cause memory loss, impulsive and erratic behavior, difficulty with balance, impaired judgment, and behavioral disturbances including aggression, depression, and increased suicidality. Ultimately, CTE progresses to the onset of dementia. A similar accumulation of tau protein is also seen in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. CTE symptoms can manifest months or years after brain trauma, and a definitive diagnosis of CTE can only be made after death by analyzing brain tissue at autopsy. The CDC estimates that up to 3.8 million concussions occur each year, with up to ten percent of high school athletes suffering from post-concussion syndrome.
The world of sports is filled with great memories, grand moments and at times complete mayhem. There are moments like hitting a Home Run in game 7 of the World Series or memories of scoring an overtime goal during the Stanley Cup finals. However, there are also incredibly low moments when mayhem occurs such as an action or incident that results in a concussion. An injury such as a concussion can ruin your sports career or potentially your ability to function normally in the future. Concussions are caused by blunt force trauma to the head, a fall or an injury that shakes the brain inside the skull. Recovering from a concussion can take weeks, months or even years to heal. For some, it can impair your mental or mobility functions for life.
Concussions are becoming a bigger and bigger issue in sports. Not only are professional players affected by concussions, but so are youth. In contact sports like soccer, concussions can be deadly if not recognized and treated, the long-term effects of concussions may determine how long a person lives. This issue needs to be recognized and acted on as soon as possible. Although there are many effects of a concussion, there are no long-term effects specific to sports-related concussions; the long-term effects of a concussion all depend on the severity of the concussion, which is different in every circumstance.
When a football player gets a concussion they usually go back to practice after 7-10 days after they got there concussion. They have researched that the football players who have had a concussion that they have less water movement in the brains or diffusion and that relates to the white matter tracts might be torn and leaky. Also, they found the white matter was torn and leaky 6 months after the injury has happened. Whenever a football player gets a concussion the school should have them go to a doctor and have them get a brain screening to make sure that the damage isn’t very serious. If it is serious then they should stay out of doing football for longer to make sure that they are healthy and safe. I don’t think that the schools are taking
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.
Many 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.
The effects of concussions have been felt by all levels of athletics in recent years. Although athletes have been aware of concussions since the 1930s, only recently have there been discoveries on the severity they can have on athletes. It is now known that several concussions can cause serious mental issues such as dementia and they can even cause death. From youth leagues all the way up to the pro game, sports are trying to adapt the game in order to reduce the frequency of concussions. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that temporarily alters the way the brain functions. The more concussions someone receives, the more likely that it will lead to long term consequences. About 10 percent of athletes in the United States will get a concussion