Sport Concussions

Research Essay: Sport Concussions

Connor Brown 4242006
COMM 1133 51
November 25, 2015
Niagara College

Sport Concussions

Abstract
Concussions are a major concern in amateur and professional sports.
Many leagues around the world are finally addressing the problem of
concussions and head injuries and the effect of the body after suffering
numerous injuries. Leagues are changing rules and regulations to prevent
head injuries and make it safer for all athletes.

In the world of sports injuries happen constantly. Sidelining athletes

from day to day, to ending seasons, ending careers and in some severe
cases ending lives. Concussions in sports has become a massive concern in
the last few years. Alan Ropper states. (2007) Concussion refers to an
immediate and transient loss of consciousness accompanied by a brief
period of amnesia after a blow to the head.(p.166) Hockey and football are
the main sports that have seen such a large amount of concussions and
brain injuries. Beck reports that after the first few weeks of the 2015-16 NFL
season there was 14 diagnosed concussions. (2015) Professional sports are
trying to make rules and find ways to reduce the number of concussions and
be able to diagnose and treat concussions accordingly. Beck states that some
NFL teams are considering to adopt a tackling style that will hopefully reduce
the number of concussions where the players tackle one another lower and
grappling the legs similar to a rugby tackle. (2015) Concussions are a
growing problem in amateur and professional sports and it is crucial to find

Sport Concussions

new ways to prevent and recover so there are no long term effects on the
body.
No matter how many precautions that are made, injuries and
concussions will happen. Terry Adirim (2007) lists the most common
symptoms The most common symptoms of concussion include headache,
dizziness, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and cognitive symptoms such as
decreased attention span, decreased concentration, decreased mental
speed, and impaired short-term memory. (p.3) Robert Conder explains that
High school athletes take longer to recover and lots of sports are informal
and are not organized for reporting injuries. Also that younger children will
take longer to recover from sports related injuries. (2015) Concussions can
be very hard to diagnose. A lot of young athletes will just believe that their
headache is just because of the hit they took and after a few Advils they will
be back to normal and be back playing the next day. Robert Conder has a
great way to take precaution after being diagnosed with a concussion: (2015)
Conservative management for younger athletes would include longer
removal from play.with careful monitoring by parents, teachers, and
coaches. (p.91) Another big concern about concussions is Post-concussion
Syndrome (Posttraumatic Nervous Instability). Alan Ropper (2007) has a
fantastic definition of (PNI) Post-concussion syndrome consists of
constellation of sometimes disabling symptoms, mainly headache, dizziness,
and trouble concentrating (p.169) The NHL and NFL are enforcing stricter
rules and consequences for illegal hits to the head to try to limit the number

Sport Concussions

of concussions and brain injuries. Beck writes that the NFL has shown
dedication to player safety of a $1 billion dollar settlement with over 5,000
retired players who had their risk of concussions hid. (2015)

The world of sports will always be effected by injuries and lawsuits and
criticism of how they treat the players and their safety. But with the number
of concussions and head injuries rising and seeing the long term effects such
as Post-concussion syndrome, Professional sport leagues are making big
changes to help stop and prevent these injuries.

References
Cram session in evaluation of sports concussion: A handbook for students and
clinicians (2013). SLACK Incorporated.
Ropper, A. H., & Gorson, K. C. (2007). concussion. The New England Journal of
Medicine, 356(2), 166-172.
Conder, R. L., & Conder, A. A. (2015). Sports-related concussions. North Carolina
Medical Journal, 76(2), 89-95.
Adirim, T. A. (2007). Concussions in sports and recreation. Clinical Pediatric
Emergency Medicine, 8(1), 2-6.
U.S Department of Health and Human Services. (2015). Concussion Information
Sheet. Retrieved November 22, 2015. Published February 16, 2015. Last updated
February 16, 2015
http://www.cdc.gov/headsup/pdfs/youthsports/parent_athlete_info_sheet-a.pdf
Concussion / Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). (2012). Retrieved November 22, 2015,
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55u5Ivx31og
Beck, J. (2015, September 21). The NFL's Continuing Concussion Nightmare.
Retrieved November 23, 2015, from
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/09/researchers-find-brain-damagein-96-percent-of-former-nfl-players/406462/

Sport Concussions
Concussion | medicine. (2014, September 14). Retrieved November 23, 2015, from
http://www.britannica.com/science/concussion