...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...
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...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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...In 2015, 271 concussions occurred in the NFL which is the highest number of concussions in NFL history. Concussions can have serious effects on players including death. While the diagnoses of concussions in the NFL has increased so has the awareness and research which may account for the increased incidence of NFL players with concussions. This paper will examine the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, effects and strategies for prevention of concussions. This paper will show that a concussion is one of the worst injuries an athlete can receive. A concussion is when there’s an impact to the head and the brain impacts the skull. People can obtain a concussion from a blow to the body. Most people believe that the brain is attached to...
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...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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...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 trauma in...
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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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...This paper explores the human brain and what happens when a traumatic event disturbs the chemical balance or calibration of its functions. The writings of Nadia Harris and Adam Piore (2013) explore these questions by studying and observing the journey of Derek Amato an individual that had unique adverse effects following a brain injury, in this case a concussion. The work of John Powell (2001) aids this exploration by defining and describing symptoms, treatment and other effects of concussions. This paper goes over the origins of Amato’s accident, the preceding symptoms, the after effects, the treatment and the successful nature of such things. This paper also discusses the region of the brain affected loosely, while bringing up...
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...friend about the 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...
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...Cedric Fierce 4/22/16 9th Final Paper Mild TBI / Concussion Report Rough Draft On average, 43,267,200 concussions occur at the high school level every year. That’s over 43 million 14-18 year olds, suffering from traumatic post-concussion symptoms and the slippery slope of brain damage caused by concussions. The increase of concussions in sports has had a major effect on athletes and should be re evaluated for safety precautions. Brain damage is caused by a concussion: "Defined as a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain, induced by biomechanical forces” (Halstead 1). In English, it can be described as "A mild brain injury usually caused by a bump or blow to the head” (Tasian 1). “Mild: used to describe the trauma of the physical...
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...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 to do differently when treating head injuries? Junior...
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...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...
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...“A concussion is a traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow or jolt that can change the way the brain normally works” (Stich). Anyone can obtain a concussion no matter what activity they participate in or if they simply do not participate in anything. A concussion can happen anywhere and everywhere and happens much more than people think. People have gotten concussions while working and even while doing nothing. One of the most common sports to receive a concussion in would include football. “Teens who pay high school sports are four times more likely to come down with a concussion today than they were a decade ago” (Jio). Many football players in the NFL have received concussions and many of them have the disease called Chronic Traumatic...
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...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 and concussions have shown advances...
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