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Lucas Van Cleef

5/23/10
English III
Mr Turakhia

Long Term Brain Injury From Sports Rough Draft

Mike Leach, head coach of the Texas Tech football program,

recently came into the public eye, and was fired, for allowing wide

receiver Adam Jones to continue playing football shortly after a

concussion. Adam Jones's family, and proponents of their cause. claim

that allowing Adam to play was mistreatment on Mike Leach's part.

Many, however, believe that Adam's father Craig James, former

Oakland Raider and current ESPN analyst, pressured Mike Leach to

play his son more. Regardless of who's to blame, Adam Jones is just

one of many athletes of all sports, old and young, to become a part of

the brain damage epidemic.

Brain injury and professional sports have always a direct

connection between them. The most common of the professional

athlete's many nightmares is the concussion. A concussion is a general

term for minor brain damage, but generally refers to the brain being

shaken in the head. This is very easily produced by head trauma, due

to the fact that "The brain has the consistency of Jello." says Dr. David

Burns, General Radiologist for the Cleveland Clinic. He also says that

we do not fully understand what a

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concussion truly is because "Nature isn't simple, but our human minds

are." As it stands

now, concussions

refer to any minor brain damage that can not be specifically detected

on a CT scan or MRI. A series of concussions can lead to a condition

known as "Dementia Pugilistica", or in more common terms, "Punch

Drunk Syndrome." The internal damage is best described by Dr. Michel

Tagliati, of the Manhattan's Phillips Ambulatory Care Center, who says

"When the brain suffers multiple hemorrhages, after a period of time

the thinking part of the brain, the cerebral cortex, can become

disconnected from the rest of the brain." Dementia Pugulistica is

similar to Alzheimer's in that it's primary effect is a dramatic loss of

memory. Some of the more fatal effects of repeated head injuries

include Epidural and Subdural Hematoma. An Epidural Hematoma

occurs when "An artery in the epidural space between the brain and

the skull breaks, causing a build up of pressure in the skull, which

restricts blood from passing through the brain." explains Dr. Burns. A

Subdural Hematoma may not show up until some time after the injury.

Unless drained immediately, the build up of blood in both examples will

kill it's victim. It should be noted also that studies are currently in place

to connect Parkinson's Disease and

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traumatic brain injury, due to the nature of the loss of peripheral

control.

Many safety precautions are in place as a response to the large

amount of

concussions, and more serious brain injuries, in professional and

amateur sports, as well

as the controversy surrounding them. One

of these methods of prevention is mandated suspensions to players

who have recently sustained a head injury. If a boxer is knocked out in

the ring, and does not regain consciousness, he can not return to the

ring for six more months. This policy has been , or is in the process of

being adopted by other sports as well. After the deaths of two high

school football players in North Carolina from concussions, states have

begun to vote on legislation regarding mandated suspensions for high

school athletes. Rosalin Heldemand of the Washington post says "The

Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital

in Columbus, Ohio, found last year that more than 40 percent of high

school concussion sufferers return to the field too quickly."

says Rosalin Heldemand of the Washington post. As of March 2010,

The Virginia General Assembly has passed a law enforcing this rule

among high school athletes. A second precaution that sports employ to

prevent long term brain damage is the use of

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helmets. Sports such as Hockey, Football, and Baseball require helmets

to prevent

concussive damage to the head. The human head is a very vulnerable

spot due to the fact that "The brain floats freely in the skull. A rapid

deceleration of the brains movement can lead to a brain contusion,

which is similar to a bruise you would have on your knee or elbow,

except on your brain." Says Dr. Burns. This kind of deceleration is

caused by any directional

concussive force. Helmets, however, have only recently become

common in sports, and even more recently become mandatory. One

last safety measure taken by organized sports leagues are technical

knock outs. In a boxing a match, a "TKO" means that a referee has

deemed that a player has been beaten badly enough that the fight

must stop. By calling a technical knock out, a referee can prevent a

concussion or more serious damage that would come before the boxer

was finally knocked unconscious.

Brain Injury and Concussion awareness have both recently made

their way into the public eye. Former professional wrestler, and

Harvard Graduate, Christopher Nowinski, has become very involved in

spreading the word about concussions and the

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long term effects of having one. Speaking from personal experiences in

the World Wrestling Entertainment franchise, Chris says "My

concussions began happening so frequently, and with such severe

symptoms, that I was forced to retire at age 24."

The Wecht Institute has recently held a two-day seminar in attempt to

"tackle" football

brain injuries. Leading experts from all over the country appeared and

spoke on the subject of professional football brain injuries. "This is the

time to take it on," Says Ben Wecht, the institute's program

administrator, "And, hopefully, the people that we'll

be hearing from will make it even hotter."

Brain Injuries have gone from being the "Elephant In The Room"

of professional sports, to becoming the unfortunate, but almost

inevitable bane of an athlete's career. With rapid discoveries in

medical technology, and safety features, serious brain injury is on the

decline, but is still a very real, and very scary threat.