Concussions Essay Example

BOOM! The linebacker's helmet collides with the quarterback's, leaving the quarterback unconscious on the field. As he gets up his brain is jumbled as he walks staggered to the sidelines. Concussions are one of the most dangerous injuries a  person can have in a sport. Of course, contact sports are more prone to these injuries, an athlete can sustain these injuries in all sports. With schools going back to in-person, teens will be more involved in sports of all kinds. Additionally parents will be worried about their children’s safety because  Student Athletes sustain concussions that can cause chemical changes in their brain that can lead to issues in neurological development.

Concussion in teen sports happens a lot. A study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics where 9542 concussions were reported out of 22, 870, 364 total athletic exposures which is a rate of 4.17 per 10000 exposures. Those rates may seem small but let's look at the top three rates for individual sport concussion rate. Of course boys football comes in first with 10.40 per 10000 AE, followed by girls soccer with 8.19 per 1000 AE, boys hockey round off the top three with 7.69 per 10000 AE. These individual sports have concussions rates almost double the overall rate of concussions. Concussions do not solely happen in the heat of competition. In cheerleading the concussion rate is actually higher in practice than competition(3.60 v. 2.22 per 10000 AE) (American Academy of Pediatrics). A student athlete is only one slip or one wrongly executed routine away from damaging their brains.

Concussions do not solely cause bruises and scars externally but they cause serious internal damage. In our brains we have white matter, it sends signals to the brain from one location to the next. The white matter contains fiber called axons. In a new study by Elizabeth Davenport, a biomedical engineer she wants the reader to liken white matter to a rubber garden hose. “Think of the axon and information flowing through it as a garden hose carrying water, she says. As with a hose, she explains, "if you break the outer [myelin] layer, the information isn't going to get where it needs to go as efficiently( Kowalski).”Not only can concussions cause dizziness or headache but they slow information from where it needs to go.

In another study conducted by Ravi Menon in July 2020,  changes are clearly showing up on the MRI scan, so damage is clearly occurring. However the benefits of exercise outweigh the risk of what humans know about concussions. Of course contact sports have higher risks but the good news is that the fewer times you hit your head the less likely you are to get a concussion. So as long as the student athlete is taking all of the precautions necessary you are safe from concussions( Kowalski).

Concussions do not solely have short term effects. You could experience memory problems, sleep disturbance, disorders of sleep, and so much more. In a study conducted by the \Clinical Journal of Medicine they surveyed 1532 varsity football players and found that of that 1532 only 47.1% of them reported their injury. Of that 53%, “66% of that 53% did not report their concussion because not thinking that the injury warranted medical attention, 41% was from motivation to be withheld from competition, and 36.1% didn't even know they had a concussion(Clinical Journal of Medicine).”I understand that you do not want to let your team down but in this circumstance you need to think about yourself. You know what you are feeling and the risk of playing through a concussion outweigh playing in the game. Be smart and do not play.

Concussions are serious injuries that cause chemical changes that lead to neurological changes in your brain. Whether a Student Athlete is playing a contact sport or a non contact sport concussion can happen. That is why every Student Athlete needs to take every precaution to ensure complete safety in their particular sport. There is no need to get a serious head injury that could have been easily avoidable.  When mothers bless us with so many great superstars why would we risk the success over an unnecessary concussion.

Works Cited

Center, From the Neuroscience. “Unreported Concussion in High School Football Players:...: Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine.” LWW, journals.lww.com/cjsportsmed/Abstract/2004/01000/Unreported_Concussion_in_High_School_Football.3.aspx. Accessed April 19, 2022

Kerr, Zachary Y., et al. “Concussion Incidence and Trends in 20 High School Sports.” American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatrics, 1 Nov. 2019, publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/144/5/e20192180/38225/Concussion-Incidence-and-Trends-in-20-High-School.  Accessed April 19, 2022

Kowalski, Kathiann. “It Doesn't Take a Concussion for Head Hits to Harm Young Brains.” Newsela, 2022, newsela.com/read/concussion-head-hits-harm-young-brains/id/2001025111/. Accessed April 19, 2022

Public Affairs, Office of. “Concussions: How They Can Affect You Now and Later  .” University of Utah Health, 17 Nov. 2016, 12:00 A.M., healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2016/11/concussion.php.  Accessed April 19, 2022.