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Annotated Bibliography

Sports- Related Concussions

Hannah Reed

Professor Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1104

March 7, 2018
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Covassin, Tracey et al. “Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing

(ImPACT) Practices of Sports Medicine Professionals.” Journal of Athletic

Training 44.6 (2009): 639–644. PMC. Web. Access 9 Mar. 2018.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2775366/.

This academic article is about ImPACT testing; a computerized neurocognitive baseline test. The

main outcome is to see the accuracy of the test and is supposed to represent what an athlete is like

post-concussion status. Some points covered were how many athletic trainers used the baseline

test, the most frequent sports that the athletic trainers administered the test to, and when the athletic

trainers would allow the athlete to play again. The conclusion for this article was that most athletic

trainers relied on symptoms more than the baseline test.

To me this is a reliable source. The Journal of Athletic Training a peer-reviewed journal of studies

that pertain to the profession of athletic training. The author, Tracey Covassin, is an associate

professor of kinesiology in the College of Education at Michigan State University, she is a certified

athletic trainer in the sports medicine program. The main research she does is for

neuropsychological impairments of concussions and epidemiology of sports injuries. With her

research focuses that makes her very credible.

This was a very useful article for my research because it showed some of the technology used to

help diagnose concussions. My thinking remained the same because I already knew a little about

how ImPACT testing worked due to having to take it myself in high school. It did help broaden

my knowledge on ImPACT testing and how trainers judge whether an athlete is ready to take the

field again or not. This source will most likely be used for my project because it gives a good

breakdown of outcomes, key points, results and conclusions.

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Fischer, Stuart J., Wayne J. Sebastianelli, Rick Wilkerson "Sports Concussions."

Ortho Info. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, June 2017. Web. Access 9

March 2018. <https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/sports-concussion/>.

This website article is about sports concussions. The article describes what a concussion is,

symptoms, causes, the doctors examination, treatment, the return to play process, and ways to

prevent concussions. A key point in this article was recognizing the confession and getting proper

treatment. “Coaches, parents, and school administration must be aware of the athletes with a

concussion.”

To me this is a reliable source for the information given. The source gives a decent amount of

information, it gives kind of the base of my research because of the detail it gives about

concussions. The source was peer- reviewed by Stuart J. Fischer and contributed and/or updated

by Rick Wilkerson and Wayne J. Sebastianelli. All are Doctors that specialize in orthopedic

surgery. Sebastianelli and Wilkerson also specialize in sports medicine. With their specializations

I can see where they could be credible but at the same time they aren’t. I say they aren’t credible

because their main focus is in orthopedics not neurology; then I say they are credible because they

revolve around sports medicine.

The source was very useful it gave me more information on the return to play process as well as

prevention for concussions. My thought process broadened as the source went over the doctor’s

examination test. I will be using this source because it gives be the basic information on sports

concussions.
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Sullivan, Chad. “Canada: Concussions & Varsity Sports: What Colleges And Universities Should

Know.” Concussions & Varsity Sports: What Colleges And Universities Should Know

Media, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment - Canada, 5 Mar. 2018, Access 9 March 2018

www.mondaq.com/canada/x/679360/Sport/Concussions varsity.

This new source talked about how concussion have been in the news recently. Key points in this

were what a concussion is, symptoms, how athletes don’t admit they are injured, and concussion

lawsuits. The conclusion to this article was that it’s not always possible to prevent injuries but

that’s why sports procedures and protocols for when athlete gets injured.

This is a reliable source because it gives not just basic information it has the facts to back it up. It

talks about NHL star Sidney Crosby getting his fourth career concussion for the 2016-2017 season.

It also talked about a 17-year-old who died because she ignored her symptoms. Then it talks about

how colleges and university should take action immediately. I would say Sullivan is credible

because one of his areas of law is occupational health and safety. I find him very credible.

The source was useful it broadened what I already knew from my other sources. It also gave me

more things to look into like concussion lawsuits and how colleges and universities should take

action. I will be using this source because it contains more information on “new things” the other

sources didn’t touch on.

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Vasilogambros, Matt. “Does the NHL Take Concussions Seriously?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media

Company, 12 Oct. 2016, Access 9 March 2018

www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/10/nhl-concussions/503768/

This news article talks about how the National Hockey League (NHL) handles injuries. Key points

of the article where the new protocols the National Hockey League (NHL) uses, how athletes lie

to stay in the game, brain damage due to repeated hits to the head, and lawsuits against the National

Hockey League. The conclusion was that the National Hockey League and certain hits to try and

help prevent head injuries.

This is reliable because it took athletes that actually suffered from concussions and talked about

their stories. Not only did it explain their stories it talked about their risk, in Sidney Crosby’s case

he suffered from four concussions in his 2016-2017 NHL season. The NFL also has had a few

cases of concussions. This is similar to one of my other sources because it talks about how players

would lie just to stay in the game, “former Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman James

Wisniewski recounted to The Columbus Dispatch: I said my back hurt so I didn’t have to do the

20-minute protocol and go through that whole concussion process… A lot of guys were playing

through things… That’s playoff hockey. It’s survival of the fittest.”. Matt Vasilogambros I would

say is credible because when he was working for The Atlantic he had lead the world and national

news coverage. So, he had to go and get the news directly from the source. I find him to be credible.

The source was useful. It helped bring the risk factors of a concussion into perspective. I do plan

on using this source because it gives me real life stories to use as facts.