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Concussions In Sports

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Introduction Sports-related head injuries have received significantly more attention over the past few years; the effects of repeated concussions have been demonstrated in a number of high-profile athletes. With multimillion dollars and careers at stake, professional athletic associations have supported the implementation of preseason baseline testing and neuropsychological evaluation to assist in return-to-play decision making and to assess the cognitive sequelae of concussive head injuries. Such comprehensive programs are infiltrating college athletics and most recently have begun to manifest themselves in high school athletics. It is clear that mild head injury is a growing concern in the popular high school contact sports. Statement of Purpose …show more content…
In 1995, Genuardi and King concluded that in a sample of 33 youth athletes with sports-related concussions, hospital discharge instructions were appropriate for only 30.3% of the Grade 1 concussions, for 20.0% of the Grade 2 concussions, and for none of the Grade 3 concussions. A number of concussion severity scales have been offered, the most recent of which was published by the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). This scale defines a Grade 1 concussion as symptoms lasting less than 15 min, with transient confusion and no loss of consciousness. A Grade 2 concussion requires symptoms lasting more than 15 min, no loss of consciousness, and transient confusion. In contrast, in a Grade 3 concussion, there is loss of consciousness, which is either brief (s) or prolonged (min). Return-to-play guidelines are based on the severity and frequency of concussions. The scale and accompanying guidelines represent an effort to provide a standardized approach to the evaluation of

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