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The Dangers Of Concussions In Sports

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A recent and rapidly developing topic in the world of competitive sports is the effects of concussions, and traumatic brain injury to athletes. Concussions were once thought to be an individual type of occurrence, however, it is now learned that brain injury from impacts, can have long term cumulative impact on the brain and mental health. This disorder is now known as CTE, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. In the early 20th century, this was initially called dementia pugilistica, after doctors began noticing that boxers were sustaining brain injuries after repeated impacts to the head.

Mild Traumatic Brain injuries are commonly called concussions, which is an invisible injury. A concussion is caused by rapid acceleration or deceleration of the brain within the skull, .A mild traumatic brain injury or concussion is usually downplayed, due to the fact that a single occurrence usually does not lead to any long term serious health issues. A Traumatic Brain injury would be considered a serious concussion. Any type of concussion, mild or major can cause physical issues, such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, light sensitivity, and feelings of fatigue and lethargy. These injuries can also lead cognitive difficulties and affect the ability to concentrate and disrupt short term memory. This commonly resolves within hours or days for a mild event, and upwards of 6 months for a traumatic or more severe concussion. …show more content…
A majority of athletes who have been diagnosed with this disorder are athletes in contact sports such as boxers, football players, martial arts or wrestlers. While most attention is focused on the athletic professionals who have been impacted, cases have also been noted by military

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