...During each National Football League (NFL) season, hundreds of concussions are recorded, and potentially a significant amount are not even reported. Increased concussions have short-term and long-term effects on players, and these effects are damaging to their health. Right now, little is being done to solve the problem, and the NFL is trying to pretend that concussions are not a big problem since injuries are common in football. However, the fact is that increased football head injuries over the years have created a big problem that the NFL cannot avoid. They should consider the proposed solution which will help reduce head injuries in the league. The solution will help them save lawsuit money and show the public that the league is dedicated to their players’ well-being. Problem The problem with the NFL is that the league is taking minimal steps in...
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...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....
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...Concussions in Athletes Concussions in Athletes Introduction Athletes are faced with a number of health issues including injuries that could require surgery. It is also important to note that there are a number of athletes who have died while participating in sports. Sadly, most athletes do not report these problems in time albeit they are aware of the symptoms that accompany such sport-related health problems. Concussion is one such health problem that is affecting athletes, especially high school students. It has been reported that most of athletes tend to avoid reporting symptoms of concussion in order to avoid being sidelined from playing (Diagnosing and Treating Sports-Related Concussion, 2014). In the United States, it is estimated that up to 3.8 million athletes suffer from concussions linked to high impact sports (Diagnosing and Treating Sports-Related Concussion, 2014). There is, however, a feeling that the figure is under-estimated in the sense that most athletes as well as their coaches are not conversant with the symptoms of this particular health issue. Therefore, concussions in athletes are a serious health issue which should be addressed immediately. There is need to inform athletes and all stakeholders in the sport industry on the symptoms of concussions as well as their capability to be fatal in order to help athletes seek treatment to avoid repetitive concussions which would lead to deaths. The purpose of this paper is to inform the reader, especially...
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...Chris Berryman Sport in Modern Society Concussions in Sport: An Analytical Discussion “I had no idea what a nickel was (Kevin Kolb, The Concussion Blog).” NFL quarterback Kevin Kolb has suffered three major concussions since 2010 (Galliford, Buffalorumblings). His most recent one just this past August effectively ended his football career. This is just one example of the many in which multiple or severe concussions have cut short careers in sports. The issue of player safety in sport has become a topic of controversy and debate in recent years. Many professional leagues such as the NFL and the NHL have adopted strict concussion test protocols and procedures for its players. Player safety has no doubt become a major concern in contact sports. The problem is, many of these regulations have yet to address what happens after playing careers are over. What happens to former players’ mental and physical health after they retire? How do players whom have suffered multiple concussions playing contact sports live their lives as opposed to players whom have played non-contact sports such as golf or baseball? What will be questioned in this analysis is do known players that have suffered multiple and/or severe concussions throughout their playing careers due to playing a contact sport develop abnormally high levels of mental and physical health problems at an early age? Previous history on the attempts to lower the frequency of severe injury...
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...discussion regarding traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concussions has been inflamed within the media. Prior to this time little research was conducted regarding various forms of TBI, concussions, and enduring consequences of experiencing a TBI. As a result of the many soldiers returning from the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with TBI diagnosis, much research has been directed toward this field. A sizeable contributor in the media recognition of the significant impact of TBI and concussions is the popularity of the National Football League (NFL) and college football. Players in various professional and college football leagues have long been experiencing TBI as a result of the contact nature of the...
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...Literature review A concussion is often referred to mild brain injury by medical professionals. The study of Gerberich published in 1983 was one of the first widely cited articles to deal with concussions in high school football and spanned the years 1978–1982. Emily A. Harrison, a doctoral candidate in the History of Science Department at Harvard University researched, sports concussion has become a prominent public health problem in the early 21st century, also referred to as “The Concussion Crisis.” Harrison found that Football-related concussion contributed to much of the epidemic burden and inspired a lot of public awareness. The crisis has been around for more than a century. In the first decades of the sport of football, concussions...
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...Every year, roughly 1.6 to 3.8 million athletes in the United States alone suffer from a concussion (“13 Things You”). But, almost half of these concussions are not reported and therefore not treated (“13 Things You”). Of all sports contributing to the concussion total, football is by far the main contributor. “High school football accounts for 47% of all reported sports concussions, while 33% of these concussions occur during practice,” (“Head Case - Complete”). The main reason for this could be improper technique and teaching, neglect, and other factors. But for these players, high school is followed by college and possibly the National Football League (NFL), where concussions get much more attention and criticism. Concussions in the NFL...
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...Unfortunately, sports-related head injuries occur frequently and can be difficult to diagnose; injuries like concussions aren't always as obvious or painful as a fractured limb or pulled muscle but aren't any less serious. The Center for Disease Control(CDC) estimates that, in the Unites States alone, over 300,000 sports-related concussions occur a year(Article 1). The results of concussions can be detrimental, especially in children and young adults. Returning to play shortly after a concussion can make players vulnerable to serious injury, even permanent brain damage. Therefore, stricter protocol should be set in place for returning to play after a concussion. It seems obvious that concussions should be treated as seriously as any other...
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...It is predicted that sportsmen who are diagnosed with concussion more than once will be exposed to long term effects of concussion, such as decreased activity in the primary motor cortex resulting in a slower reaction time. Introduction: The brain is an organ that serves as the centre of the nervous system in all humans. The brain is located in the head, encased in a skull usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. The brain is the most complex organ in the body of most living organisms. In a human, the cerebral cortex contains approximately 15–33 billion neurons, each connected by synapses to several thousand other neurons. These neurons allow the brain to send messages throughout the body actions such as movement. Structures...
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...States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have done multiple studies which have shown that anywhere ranging between 1.6 million to 3.6 million concussions happen each year. It is stated that “5-10% of athletes will experience a concussion in any given sport season” (Sport Concussion Institute n.d.). Concussions are caused by a hard hit or blow to the head, face, or neck which causes ones brain to move and forcefully knock against the inside walls of ones skull. In result of this, one could feel a variety number of symptoms. Symptoms of a concussion can include the following: “seeing stars” or blurred vision, nausea or vomiting, and confusion, blacking out, irritability, slow or delayed responsiveness, slurred speech,...
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...Terri Allen Professor Roddy English 1302 17 October 2016 Annotated Bibliography Apps, Jennifer N, and Kevin D. Walter. Pediatric and Adolescent Concussion: Diagnosis, Management, and Outcomes. New York, NY, Springer, http://0-link.springer.com.librus.hccs.edu/book/10.1007%2F978-0-387-89545-1. Jennifer Apps is a pediatric neuropsychologist and assistant director of research in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavior Sciences at the Medical College of Wisconsin. According to her book, with an increase in sports affiliated concussions among children, it has become necessary for practitioners to understand how to go about handling age appropriate assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of the concussions. It is also critical...
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...Reflections of Concussions Doctor Omalu studied the lethal form of illness in the brains of former football players, and how they have already turned into a long and painful fight. Omalu was a black man and also an immigrant. NFL coaches were so in denial of the situations that were being discussed. This is a terrifying implication on concussions. Omalu work on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy also known as CTE. This movie “ concussion” is spiritually and emotionally accurate all the way through. This is the best study that we have on NFL players and mortality, yet its findings never seem to enter public consciousness. The simple truth, that former players aren’t dying, that in lots of ways they’re much healthier than you or me , smacks against...
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...Occupational Safety and Health Case Study Draft Introduction Concussions have casted a dark shadow over sports throughout the last decade. They are the most common head and brain injuries suffered by athletes. A concussion is “a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head or body, a fall, or another injury that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull” ("Concussion - WebMD: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention"). The major problem regarding concussions is that they are not visible to the human eye. Concussions occur all the way from Pop Warner leagues as a child to the professional leagues. My friend has played football his whole life. Unfortunately, he has been plagued by concussions ever since he started to play the sport. He is a prime example of an ordinary kid who plays a sport he loves, but has altered his future forever. Commissioners are actively trying to reduce the number of head injuries that occur while playing. However, the main problem regarding head injuries in sports is that players tend to rush back to their respective sports, without proper testing and treatment. This results in athletes risking their playing careers, a life filled with long-term head complications, and eventually putting their lives in danger. As an injured athlete, there comes a point where you have to ask yourself, is rushing back to the game really worth a lifetime filled with head injuries and complications? So what do team doctors need...
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...High School Concussions Have you had a concussion before? You get all confused and disoriented and have trouble remembering things. Students in High School athletics get concussions all the time. “47% of all reported concussions are in football alone. 33% of which occur during practices. There were 3,800,000 concussions reported in 2012, double what was reported in 2002.” High School athletes are vulnerable to concussions every day in practice and in games. The number of students getting concussions is growing every year, but how do we bring that number down? The statistics of concussions High School sports is important along with the dangers of concussions, and what a concussion is. These are the kind of things that schools should be aware of for the students sake. (Head Case). Concussions are very dangerous but every day there is a student at a school that gets hit or falls and ends up with a concussion/concussions. “In every 100,000 athletic...
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...This essay will argue that sports teams from high school to the NFL need to focus more on the dangers of concussion sin football. In sports everyone who commits to playing for an organized team knows that there is a large risk involved by the time you are stepping onto the field, Court or Ice Rink. One of the most common sports that athletes are being injured in is the sport of football. Every one knows the dangers of the the full contact sport because it is so widely commercialized in for all ages. From High School all the way to the NFL football is a big deal but what about the injury's that come along with playing this violent game. Concussions are one of the most common injures that occur out of the football field and it has...
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