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Concussion Awareness

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Concussion Awareness

Anthony Nunez
University of Texas at El Paso

Concussion Awareness

Abstract
In my literature review I decided to do it on a really big issue in the world of sports, especially in
football and that is the issue of concussions. There are approximately 23,000 football-related,
nonfatal traumatic brain injuries. Concussions are becoming an even more discussed topic in
sports due to more research being done on this topic, also with some of the former players who
has suffered concussions are coming out talking about some of the negative effects that
concussions are having on their lives, even after years since the injury has occurred. Which
includes ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and in some
cases suicide. The main thing most people think about when they think of a concussion is that
this person just hit their head, has temporary memory loss, a headache, and just give them some
medication give them a little rest and theyll be fine. Sometimes this is the case, but most of the
times a person who has suffered a concussion will still be suffering the effects years later. As I
go on with this literature review Ill explain more into detail about concussion and their effects.

Concussion Awareness

Concussion Awareness
For my literature review paper I wanted to help bring awareness to a topic that is very popular in
football or any contact sport, and that is the topic of concussions, many dont really understand
how much of an affect concussions can have on someones life. A concussion is a very serious
injury regardless if it is minor or severe, due to the fact that it involves one of the most important
element we as humans need to operate and function in society. In order for me to bring out
awareness on this topic I had to ask four main questions, and those were based on definition,
fact, quality and policy. By answering these four questions effectively I hope I was able to make
you more aware on what a concussion is, how likely you are to sustain one, how severe it can be,
and what is being done to reduce concussion.

Definition: What is a concussion?

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that is caused by a blow to head resulting in transient
neurologic deficits or symptoms. In the article Causes and consequences of sports concussions
the authors define concussion by being a complex pathophysiologic process affecting the brain
induced by traumatic biochemical forces. It is also described as a traumatically induced
physiological disruption of brain function. There are two ways a concussion is sustained in
football the first is a helmet to helmet hit where two individuals hit each other head on forcing
the head to take most of the impact. The second occurs when an individual is tackled to the

Concussion Awareness

ground and their heads bangs on the turf.

Fact: How likely are you to sustain a concussion?

Whenever you are playing in contact sports such as football there is a 75% chance that youll
sustain a concussion. You are also more likely to have a concussion during a game at 78%,
compared to practice at 60%. During my research I found out that the more concussions you

Concussion Awareness

sustain the chances of another one increases. One concussion is 1-2 times more likely, two
concussion is 2-4 times more likely, three is 3-9 times more likely to sustain a fourth.
Adolescents 5 to 18 years old account for nearly 90% of these injuries. Sports isnt the only
way one can sustain a concussion, you can have one by falling and hitting your head, being
involve in a accident, or also being involve in a car accident.
Quality: Effects of concussions?
Concussions can result in deficits in attention and concentration, reaction time, processing
speed and memory, and executive function. Even though it is considered to be a transient
injury, there is evidence that it can result in subtle, persistent cognitive, and neurological deficits,
lasting up to three years, even though it is not clinically observable. Concussions also leads
chronic traumatic encephalopathy (cte). It is associated with early dementia, depression, suicide,
disinhibition and erratic behavior. The only way an athlete can be diagnosed with cte is through
autopsy. There are also thousands of former NFL players coming out with being diagnosed with
ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and in some cases suicide.
Policy: What is being done to reduced concussions?
There are several different policies that are currently in place to acknowledge the community on
concussions. Several N.F.L. teams host several camps during the summer where coachs,
players, and parents are allowed to attend that bring awareness about concussions, explains how
to look for signs of concussions, and explains to players some of the symptoms of concussions,
and of they feel any of these symptoms during play they need to let a coach or trainer right away.
If a player has a concussion or suspects a concussion the coach needs to remove the player right
away and sent him to seek medical attention. In order for a concussed player to return to play
they have to wait at least 24 hours from time they were concussed, and cleared from a medical
professional. In the college, and N.F.L. level a player needs to be cleared by team doctor, and
also a medical professional. One expert Joe DeLamielleure believes that the rule change that
would result in the most protection against concussion is to redesign helmets to remove what I
believe is the greatest threat to head injury: the facemask, I believe that concussions and CTE
were uncommon when there were no face protection, and facemasks led to more head injuries
because players had less fear of hitting with their heads due to the improved protection. There
are some groups that are trying to eliminate tackle football to anyone who is 16 years of aged or
younger.
Conclusion/Synthesis
There are a lot of improvements being done in trying to reduced concussions. There is no way
we will ever be able to eliminate concussion completely, but are trying to reduce them using all
the knowledge we are gaining through research, and improved technology. The reason I decided
to complete my paper on concussions is not only cause its a growing topic in the sports world, I

Concussion Awareness

did it to bring awareness to readers about concussions, cause concussions arent only sustained in
sports anyone can get a concussion, by falling, being involved in a fight, accident, or really
anything that you might sustain a head injury. Also about some of the effects it has on your
health and well-being, and if you do have any head injuries and feel any of the symptoms
mentioned above you should seek medical assistance right away.

References
Edwards, J., & Jeffrey, B. (2013). Cause and Consequences of sports concussions. Journal of law,
Medicine, and thics, 45-49.
Ewing-Cobbs L, B. M. (n.d.).
Wolverton, B., & Jonah, N. (2013). Coach makes the call. Chronicles of higher education, 45-49.

(Neil S. Kumar, 2014)

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