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Concussions In Professional Sports: A Case Study

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When looking at the professional game of football over the years, it is well known that the most dominant injury is a concussion. Research has provided information on MTBI’s that have been sustained by NFL players. The problem here is that there has not been a complete understanding from entire the league (including the players); of just how these concussions can have a major impact on the players’ behavior on and off the field from a cognitive and physical state of being. The concussions in the NFL can be looked at in many different angles: (1) what drives them to still play, (2) is there a lack of understanding of the possible long-term effects and (3) if a player sustains a CTE, what are their chances of regaining their full potential. This paper will examine all of these angles and also talk about just exactly what goes on during a CTE and what motivates the behaviors that come with this MTBI, that way more precautions can be made to keep the players safe on and off the field. …show more content…
A chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is according to Rao, Vaishnavi, and Rabins (2015) “The developing concept that accumulated damage from a series of mild TBIs may lead to long-term impairment over the years.” In determining the severity of concussions it can sometimes be misdiagnosed. “Despite dramatic advances in the field of medicine, MTBI’s (concussion) are still one of the most puzzling neurological disorders and least understood injuries facing the sport medicine world today” (Slobounov, Semyon, and Wayne Sebastianelli, 2006). When there are numerous MTBI’s, there can be some major issues to talk about. “There is a considerable debate in the literature regarding the extent to which MTBI’s result in permanent neurological damage, psychological distress or a combination of both” (Slobounov et al.’s

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