...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,...
Words: 1672 - Pages: 7
...Concussions have the capability to destroy a brain. Multiple concussions, if left untreated can result in serious life threatening damage. The issue of concussions is very close to home and important to me. A few years ago, I suffered from a concussion while playing soccer and for months afterwards, I was affected by symptoms of the concussion such as headaches and dizziness which kept me out of playing the beautiful game. I feel very strongly that something must be done to keep athletes safe from this deadly injury. I believe that an independent oversight organization must oversee concussion protocol, which is to identify, treat, and clear any athlete with a concussion. Concussions have always occurred but have not always been identified as such. During battle, concussions occurred to soldiers but they were not classified as concussions. It...
Words: 1902 - Pages: 8
...Concussions have always been known to be a widespread problem, especially in sports. This is because of the lack of precautions the athletes have taken to asses themselves. They do not follow the necessary guidelines that the athletic trainers have given them when they have received a concussion, which will also harm their recovery time. Some of the causes of a concussion might be a serious impact to head from football or a car crash. High school football boys are more prone to receive concussions. Concussions are usually the result from when the head and body are violently shaken. The brain is mainly made up of very soft tissue, which is surrounded by spinal fluid. It is then encased by the skull. When you have sustained an impact,...
Words: 613 - Pages: 3
...Mrs. Solnitzky Writing and Grammar April 9, 2024 Concussions In youth sports, there are between 1.7 and 3 million concussions a year. UPMC - a. With more and more kids playing sports, the risk is increasing. “A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that affects brain function.” (Concussion). These concussions can cause headaches, confusion, dizziness, ringing in the ears, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, blurry vision, etc. Even though there are many problems after concussions, there are many solutions, including specialist treatments. Concussions are serious injuries. “During a concussion, the brain slides back and forth against the inner walls of the skull.” This usually happens with a hit to the head or upper body during car...
Words: 1050 - Pages: 5
...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...
Words: 1133 - Pages: 5
...Contact Sports Head/Body Injuries Research Paper November 19, 2013 Down, Set, Hut, Hut! The ball snaps, and everyone clashes into each other like warriors in battle. This is what we love about the game of football. While we are enjoying this rugged game, behind the scenes there are players in pain on and off of the field. From them having concussions to broken toes, or in other words from head to toe, every game possibly being there last one depending on the extremity of their next injury they still continue to play and entertain us. In this paper we are going to journey through some of those injuries and issues due to this sport we love and how we could help solve it, and help these athletes we love so much be able to stay in the game of football a little longer. To start off, although we’re just focusing on NFL, I have to let you know it’s not just affecting them, but the little ones we having playing this sport as well. In an article I read entitled, “Hits to the Head Don’t Differ in Age, Research Indicates”, it says that more 25,000 kids ranging from ages 8 to 19 are taken to the emergency room seeking treatment for concussions each year (Belson, 2013). This goes to say that although we enjoy when the adults are doing all this physical contact, but when it’s our own kids do we feel the same way? Well, in this case think of those NFL players as you do your children. What if they could never play again, on or off of the field? In reading another article by Sabrina Rogers...
Words: 1276 - Pages: 6
...Concussion Awareness Among Athletes The packed stadium all holds their breath. Everyone except the player who is about to catch the ball sees what is going to happen. Then just like that it happens, the loud collision of two bodies slamming into each other, helmet to helmet. The player who just tried to catch the ball drops it on impact and now lays motionless on the field. He gets up with help and walks slowly off to his sideline. This athlete has just suffered what professionals in the medical field call a concussion. This article will be taking a deeper look into what happens to a players brain during a concussion, signs of a concussion, and what rising athletes can do to prevent these concussions. Concussions have been an ongoing controversy as of late in the world of sports and it comes with good reason. Though concussions are most prevalent in football, they are common across the entire sports spectrum. A concussion occurs when the head is hit directly or indirectly, causing a chemical disturbance within the brain that can have immediate consequences. An estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million concussions occur each year (CDC 2012). The numbers will always be very broad when it comes to concussions because so many athletes refuse to take themselves out of their games and a majority of the time they neglect to report any concussion symptoms to a trainer or coach. Lets take a look at some of the factors that contribute to athletes neglecting their concussions. A university study...
Words: 1253 - Pages: 6
...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...
Words: 2830 - Pages: 12
...potential neurological consequences of playing football and what is currently being done to prevent neurological injuries? The first thing I would say is that while football is certainly fun and entertaining to watch, the human body was not designed to handle the frequent hard hits to the body and head as a result of playing the sport. Unfortunately these professional athletes end up suffering from brain damage as a result of our thirst and fascination for hard hits and violence. I would explain that while football helmets seem safe, they truly only provide very minimal protection against concussions that cause the brain to bounce, shake and rotate back and forth hitting against the wall of the human skull as a result of frequent football tackles that appear harmless to those watching the sport. To ensure the message hits home, I would bring up examples of their favourite former NFL players such as Hall of Famer Mike Webster who actually suffered neurological effects of playing the sport. It is important to highlight the most severe consequences first, which is that playing football can cause severe trauma to the brain as a result of multiple concussions that these athletes regularly experience. This trauma starts to destroy the integrity of the brain cells, causing a degenerative brain disease known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). High levels of CTE in a football player’s brain can result in memory loss, agitation and even increased anger management issues. It can also...
Words: 3380 - Pages: 14
...Can We Tackle the Concussion Battle? Can We Tackle the Concussion Battle Within Football? Introduction The National Football League (NFL) or as some people may say, “Not for long” is responsible for some of the greatest athletes. Excellence appears to be their one goal, which is to win Super Bowl championships. Some players perform at a high level for a while, whereas others don’t have a chance at experiencing actual playing time on the field at all. NFL players are less and less likely to have a definitive long-term career in the NFL. On average their career may span for about 3 ½ years (Stradley, 2011). (Workman Pub Co, 2002) The NFL has added several new teams, provided innovative equipment, additional rules, distinctive playing styles, but most importantly there has been a revolutionary change of the NFL culture. The game of football is being played at a faster pace and players are becoming larger, and intelligent (Wharton, 2011). While the sport of football can be stressful, competitive, entertaining and enjoyable, it also poses a dangerous threat of injury. One of the more common injuries within playing or watching football are concussions. Over the past few years concussions have become a more serious endangerment to those who play, from new evidence we have seen on the effects on the brain and how it can affect a player’s future. The purpose of this project is to investigate the current status of football and concussions in finding a solution to reducing head...
Words: 3204 - Pages: 13
...,“League of Denial” The NFL Concussion Crisis ave you ever taken the time to consider the consequence? Not the immediate consequence, maybe not even the short term, but the long term consequence of how we as society treat our bodies. For the NFL, its players and “Iron Mike” Webster, the consequence’s became reality on September 24th 2002 when “Iron Mike” meet Dr. Bennnet Omalu as he lay lifeless on a cold autopsy table at the Allegheny County Coroner’s Office. Concussion: a condition resulting from the stunning, damaging, or shattering effects of a hard blow; especially: a jarring injury of the brain resulting in disturbance of cerebral function and sometimes marked by permanent damage (http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/concussion). Concussions have become more prevalent in the National Football League as awareness has risen. There are numerous cases of CTE that have resulted in permanent damage or death over the course of the last 15 years. The reality behind concussions is that there will never be a total solution to the issue, in contact sports the danger will always be there. We must continue to raise awareness and develop protective equipment to minimize the risk. Concussions are one of the leading causes of CTE among all professional athletes toady. Mike Webster retired in 1991 from the NFL and the Pittsburg Steelers after 17 years in the “pit” and made an attempt at a normal life, a short time into this journey it became apparent that “Iron Mike”...
Words: 770 - Pages: 4
...Playing sports is a risk of safety for many reasons. Every year thousands of athletes get injuries that impacts their lives, their futures, or can even result in death. 3.6 million people a year get concussion, over 1.6 of them are athletes. There has always been controversy over cheerleading being a sport, or if football players get more injuries than cheerleaders. Our research question is do more high school football players or cheerleaders get the most concussions. Our research question would be a non-biased study, we would use the population of North Carolina high schools with athletic trainers, the variable is the amount of concussions that each group has. The data collection method we would use is a study. We plan to collect the data...
Words: 347 - Pages: 2
...Concussions in Football Paul Kowalczyk Lakeside High School 5th Period In this paper I am going to be talking about concussions in Football. I wanted to research this topic because I did not know how easy it is to get a concussion in sports. I also chose this topic because it can relate to the news today. The National Football League has just recently passed a rule that fines any player that tackles another player and creates head-to-head contact. I really wanted to know more about this new rule, and how this is going to affect the game. A concussion is a mild brain injury that happens when the brain quickly moves back and forth in the skull. Concussions are a short loss of normal brain function that is usually caused by sports injuries or by a blow to the head. American Football is one of the easiest ways to receive a concussion. Even though the players wear helmets they can still get a concussion. Researchers have found that out of 17,549 college football players, 888 players have received concussions and out of those 888 players 131 received another concussion that same season. Researchers at Virginia Tech, using sensors attached to the helmet of a college player, recorded more than 3,300 hits to the head during 10 games and 35 practice sessions in 2003 (Kuwana, 2004). They found that players receive an average of 50 hits to the head every game, and with an average force of 40 times...
Words: 1409 - Pages: 6
...most popular sport in America. More than hundred people tune into watch the Super Bowl every year. Playing football is the great way to improve healthy lifestyle, teamwork, and concentration, etc. Although there are a lot of great reasons to playing football; there are also some problems that must be considered. Injuries are the part of football. Getting hit happens normally and the most dangerous problem when playing football is head injuries which can lead to health issues later in life, or cause a person’s psyche. Professional football players have stand a lot of jarring hits to their heads, and getting hit regularly will cause concussion. Brain damage is an important problem in football and you need to be aware of there are a lot of research showing that it is dangerous to let kids play football and there are also some true stories about kids died because of brain...
Words: 1386 - Pages: 6
...Breyden Coates Research paper Development of Athlete Safety Presently safety is the key goal in the youth and professional sports communities. Over the years sports have become more and more intense. Advances in physical fitness, athletic ability, and technology have led to faster play and increased competitiveness. With this comes the potential for more danger which is why scientists and engineers are working on new safety technology for athletes. According to (www.safekids.org), in 2012, more than 1.24 million children ages 19 and under were seen in emergency departments for injuries related to 14 commonly played sports. The most commonly feared of these injuries is a concussion. A concussion is a “temporary unconsciousness caused...
Words: 618 - Pages: 3