Recently over the previous decades, concussions have increasingly received attention in the world of sports. A concussion is a serious head injury that can happen to any player, and in just about any sport. Indeed, it has been happening to a countless number of athletes for centuries. However, it is also important to note that a concussion can also take place outside of sports, meaning it can happen to anybody. For instance, there have been incidents where a person tripped while running, fell, and the impact of their head’s contact with the ground has caused a concussion. Or, in a car accident many front-seat passengers, or even the driver, have slammed their heads against the dashboard/steering wheel, also possibly resulting in a concussion.
Concussions are an increasingly hot topic in sports. No sport is immune to concussion. Though certain sports have higher risks of head trauma, all athletes are put at a risk. Although sports can be enjoyable, stress relieving, competitive, and a way of staying physically fit, awareness for the injury has soared over the years. Being the MVP of an all star sports team is a breathtaking title that only all players of adroitness can dream of. The higher an athlete's status is in a specific sport is, the harder the fall will be for the athlete. A concussion can be a career shattering injury with hard to deal with symptoms and long term effects. Being a smart competitor, remember that no match is more important than the health of athletes that are playing. Do not let concussions ruin the sports you love to play. Be cautious, aware, and most importantly have fun! Because at the end of the day, it all comes down to just a
“Deadly Hits” by Lauren Tarshis analyzes the topic of concussions. Over 300,000 concussions, or brain injuries, occur each year in sporting events. Ms. Tarshis analyzes 13-year-old Zackery Lystedt, a Tahoma Junior High football player, who suffered a near-fatal concussion while playing football in Seattle, Washington.
"Each year in the United States, an estimated 1.1 to 1.9 million sports- and recreation-related concussions occur among children aged 18 years and younger. 1–3 Potential long-lasting effects of concussions on developing brains include decreased physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep health." Said, Jingzhen, Yang "New and Recurrent Concussions in High-School Athletes Before and After Traumatic Brain Injury Laws, 2005–2016." (1). This is a huge issue especially since the brains are still developing. It is crucial for children to protect their heads because the brain is so fragile in the developing stage.
Over the previous decades, concussions have increasingly received attention in the world of sports. A concussion is a serious head injury that can happen to any player, and in just about any sport. Indeed, it has been happening to a countless number of athletes for centuries. However, it is also important to note that a concussion can also take place outside of sports, meaning it can happen to anybody. For instance, there have been incidents where a person tripped while running, fell, and the impact of their head’s contact with the ground caused a concussion. Or, in a car accident many front-seat passengers, or even the driver, have slammed their heads against the dashboard/steering wheel, also possibly resulting in a concussion. Concussions when treated can be healed in a timely manner. Unfortunately, throughout history, there has been a tendency for people to overlook a concussion as a serious injury, therefore, making it more problematic than it already is. In the times to come, there will certainly continue to be dangers for athletes in just about any sport, as they are unavoidable. However, focusing strictly
In the high school sports community, concussions remain a high threat to the athletes who do not receive sufficient awareness and the knowledge they need about concussions. Even though sports, such as football, are implementing penalties and different policies to try to reduce the amount of concussions that occur, high school student-athletes still suffer concussions at an alarming rate. Concussions remain a serious public health concern, as approximately 1.6 to 3.8 million sports-related concussions are estimated to occur each year. (Covassin, Elbin, Sarmiento 2012). However, North Carolina has taken the initiative to increase the student-athlete 's education of concussions within the high school community. Previous research regarding concussion
In the recent years, concussions have become a common accident related to various types of sports around the globe. A concussion is a traumatic injury of the brain, they can also be as a result of a sudden blow on the body. Such a blow may cause the head to jerk back and forth in a rapid motion. This may cause a bounce or twist within the skull, which may over stretch the brain, cause cell damage and alter chemical functioning within the brain. The occurrence of such changes within the brain leads it to vulnerability to injury and increased sensitivity. Concussions in athletes are a common scenario, and some instances may pass unnoticed making such cases to be very dangerous.
Donna L Merkel, from Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital, states, “Organized sports have been shown to assist in breaking the vicious cycle of inactivity and unhealthy lifestyle by improving caloric expenditure, increasing time spent away from entertainment media, and minimizing unnecessary snacking.” However, it has been proved that it does in fact cause students health problems. Ferrara Jeanette, author of science line, reported to science world, “I found that children who start playing tackle football before the age of 12 are three times more likely to have behavioral and mood problems than those who start playing after that age.” This quote is significant because it is showing that even when you have been playing a contact sport since you were younger and people believe that it will help cause less damage to you when you are older it can still cause health problems and often lead to more. And can affect you for the rest of your life. Dr. Robert Cantu, a concussion expert, reported to TFK,”He says that because kids ' brains are more at risk for injury than adults ' brains, tackle football, heading in soccer and body checking in ice hockey should not start until kids are 14. ‘Starting later is fine too." This quote supports the evidence because it is showing that kids who have participated in contact sports from a young age are more at risk to suffer a concussion than a normal kids and that it gives them
In high school, athletes are in greater danger of getting a concussion, and the effects can be even more severe than they would be for adults. According to the second source, many states require licensed medical professionals to check out athletes immediately after a player acquires a head injury. There is no same-day return, with the new laws. Athletes of all different ages and sports are required to sit out for a certain amount of time after suffering a concussion; however, all high school athletes should sit out for a longer amount of time because the brain isn 't fully developed until the age of 21. Also, after teenage athletes have gotten a concussion they are very likely to get another one soon after which can lead to very serious effects. Concussions can lead to serious brain damage, therefore, high school athletes should be required to
According to a research report from Loehrke, a young athlete suffers a sports related injury that is severe enough to go to the emergency room approximately every 25 seconds, or 1.35 million times a year. The most prominent of these injuries were concussions, which accounted for 163,670, or 12 percent of the total 1.35 million injuries (Loehrke). Dr. Alexander K. Powers, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Wake Forest Baptist Health in North Carolina, found that most children who suffer concussions recover, but the prognosis for children who suffer recurring concussions is unknown. Recurring concussions could lead to several disabilities later in life, such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer 's disease, epilepsy, and many other neurological disorders that would require a substantial amount of surgery to cure, if they could even be cured at all (Powers). Putting a child at risk to suffer injuries, such as the ones listed above, is one of the main reasons why the amount of children participating in competitive sports has been dropping
When student athletes participate in contact sports, they run the risk of getting a concussion. A concussion, according to The American Academy of Neurology, is defined as "A trauma induced alteration in mental statues that may or may not result in loss of consciousness". Short term effects could cause a change in mood, along with headaches and nausea; whereas long term effects of a concussion can range from drastic behavioral changes and mood disturbances to cognitive difficulties. These symptoms are very prevalent in student athletes that may get a concussion and can only get worse when one has been re-concussed. I believe that student athletes should be required to sit out for a longer period of time following the events of a concussion.
For the past two decades, the world of contact sports, particularly American football, became controversial because of the increasing attention focused on the long-term consequences of concussions. This issue would enter a tug-of-war battle between business politics and scientific evidence. The scientific evidence on the long-term detrimental effects of concussions implies that football may be too dangerous for any individual. It is only logical that the National Football League (NFL) would protect the integrity of football and everything it encompasses. However, the actions of the NFL regarding the issue are considered inappropriate and unethical. The growing number documenting the evidence of detrimental
In the article “Concussion program for high school athletes works, Michigan group says” by the Associated Press, states information relating a concussion prevention program. By using baseline testing, the program helps analyze the player’s memory, response time, and attention to diagnose concussions. A large number of head injuries were reported by Michigan schools in both boys and girls sports. The largest number of head injuries was within football. Schools who participated in the program noticed an increase in players who were pulled from their sport because of possible head injuries. The downside to the organization’s program is districts that cannot pay for this will have to get word out to the public in order to receive support. Jack
An online survey of 1,000 people conducted by ESPN in Northern California of early August did find that 57 percent of parents said the concussion problem made them less likely to let their sons play in youth leagues (Emmons, 2012). Over 3,200 retired NFL players have sued the NFL over the long-term effects of their head trauma days. Through suing the NFL they seek compensation for the information that was withheld from them about their protection. Studies show that concussions represent almost 9 percent of injuries in nine major high school sports. Although football is a rather violent sport it can still be while relatively safe when coached and monitored properly. Parents can try to buy the most effective gear for their child 's safety, but just because one buys a highly rated piece of equipment doesn 't mean the child is going to be invincible
More now than ever athletes are being watched out for when there is trauma to the brain. After multiple cases of poor treatment to concussions parents and doctors are cracking down on letting concussions not be a big deal. As more studies advance, it is discovered that every case is different. The range is created by severity, past experience with trauma, and how the patient heals. Concussions in sports can range in severity, and how they affect each individual over time depending on times of impact.