Recently there has been more and more conversation about concussions, mainly in athletics. More many years it was overlooked, but more lately it has started to become a headline. Just a few years ago athletes were encouraged to “shake it off” and keep going. Researchers have made huge advancements to show progressions of concussions. So how do concussions affect athletes? I have been playing contact sports for 14 years of my life. Some think that if you are athlete in a contact sport you should worry about the injury and the affect it has on you.  They say this during a time where this injury has been big and caused death and brain damage to a lot of athletes. For that reason, I have decided to go more in depth with the topic. When it comes to things dealing with my health and life I would like to be the one doing the research and getting the facts to prove what’s good and what’s not good for me. After doing this research there were facts giving that shows that concussions can ultimately affect you in the short term and long term. These facts still don’t move me emotionally or mentally to make me change risking that for a sport that I love and playing for so long. Some would say that I’m crazy for feeling like this about something that could really change my life and my health. For the sake of this project I’m going to help those who are similar to me and give some facts coming from strong sources to show the affects concussions can have. 

The first source I choose was Health Line, a website devoted to informing the public on health information. This particular article is about how concussions can lead to an increase of dementia risk in older adults. It is explaining how concussions affected adults at an later age. Some of the first things I noticed while reading this article was that you have an increased risk of dementia. It also states that the percent increase to get dementia with a concussion other than any other injury you could get. Most of these injuries are caused by one of the elderly falling down and creating a hard fall to the ground. The source also says that the risk of getting a concussion increases as the elder gets older. Most patients that go to rehab for the injury usually dies between two and five years according to the source. Some of them starts to form CTI which is chronic traumatic encephalopathy but some cases the people start to form a type of neurodegeneration.  When you get above of 45 it states that concussions speeds up the aging process and hastens death. This source helped me get the point across of how concussions can affect you at an elderly age not only when you are young.

The next source is the New York Times. The New York Times discusses many topics although for this article NY Times talks about how concussions can be more severe in girls and young athletes. The article explains how concussions affect younger athletes and females.  They goes to state that these group of individuals show more symptoms and also takes a longer time to recover than males and people who are older. The source goes on to state that more than 1.6 million people suffer a concussion and has been growing ever since. Most of the concussions don’t get reported to the emergency room and the number could be much higher. These individuals such as females goes to show greater decline in visual memory. the younger ones also goes on to have the affects up to 10 to 21 days after the older ones. Females are likely to show more symptoms than males because of their high estrogen levels which makes injury to the brain worst. It goes to say with females they are more willing to ask or admit to injury. Source also states the reason the younger athletes are at a greater risk because their brains are not fully developed. Also dealing with concussions for someone at a younger age is their brain and head are disproportionately large for the rest of the body.  This goes to show that if you get a concussion at an early age that can stay with you and do damage to your health. 

The online book, Encore- Concussions and Our Kids is about keeping children safe from serious injuries while in sports. It is an all-around one so it gives different standpoints dealing with concussions like how they happen, some effects, and more. It states that when the brain shakes against the skull that’s when a concussion have occurred.  They say it only should take someone two to three weeks to get over a normal concussion. Also they goes to say that the injury is caused by two types of acceleration which are linear and the other one is rotational.  The injury can also cause a complication chain of chemical and metabolic reactions, this complication tends to confuses the brain. One thing that all the sources have in common when talking about this subject is they state that all concussions don’t have to come from contact sport.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a website dedicated to discussing and informing about diseases. The one on the HEADS UP CONCUSSIONS page is all about concussions. It defines a concussion as an injury that changes the way the brain normally works. It is caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body that causes the head and brain to move quickly back and forth. Heads up concussion says the symptoms on an athlete are headache or pressure in head, nausea or vomiting, balance problems or dizziness, double or blurry vision, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to noise, feeling sluggish, concentration or memory problems, confusion, or just not feeling right.  These signs and symptoms can come right after the injury or may not appear or be noticed until days or even weeks after the injury. Heads up also says the seriousness of the injury depends on the athlete. 

According to HealthLine.com, a website devoted to health information, a concussion usually occurs after a direct blow to the head, face, neck, or anywhere on the body that would cause a great force that would be transmitted to the head. Symptoms of a concussion depend solely on both the severity of the injury and the person who is injured. It is possible to have a loss of consciousness but it is not as common. Some signs that one may experience include: memory problems, confusion, drowsiness or feeling sluggish, dizziness, double vision or blurred vision, headache, nausea or vomiting, sensitivity to light or noise, balance problems, and slowed reaction to stimuli. Symptoms of concussions can be immediately or they may develop for hours, days, weeks, or possibly months depending on the injury. If an athlete did experience a concussion there would also be recovery symptoms like irritability, sensitivity to light and noise, difficulty concentrating, and mild headaches.

According to the Concussion Legacy Foundation a concussion is defined as a rapid acceleration or deceleration of brain tissue within the skull that causes brain tissue to change shape and possibly stretching and damaging brain cells. A concussion is an invisible injury This website also says that their researchers suggest that up 10 percent of concussed high school athletes suffer from Post Concussion Syndrome, where concussive symptoms last for more than six weeks. With proper management of this injury, this research shows that athletes can expect a full recovery. Concussion Legacy Foundation also explains Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive brain disease mostly found in athletes, military veterans, and others with a history of brain trauma. CTE is common in people with a history of mistreated concussions. CTE is one of the scariest possibilities that can come from concussions. 

Since concussions are son common in sports, it is only right to look deeper into that. WEBMD says no athletes should be able to participate in sports if he or she is still experiencing symptoms from a concussion. They should also see a doctor before going back into play, because even if you feel fine you could still be showing symptoms of a concussion. This is so important because of the long term effects are why we need to make sure athletes stay away from play until they are completely healed. Even in high school after suffering just two concussions you are already at risk for post-concussion syndrome. This is harder to detect because some high school and college programs do not have the resources to protect or treat their players from concussions. These resources would include advanced athlete training, having a doctor on the sidelines of games, and/or a response team to react immediately.

 CNN took a stand on concussions as well. During a video segment on one of the shows CNN reported on brain injuries, specifically concussions, in youth sports. The issued has risen because of the brain injuries that the older communities are dealing with parents are considering not letting their kids take part contact sports. The participation in Pop Warner youth football have dropped 9.5 percent from 2010 to 2012. These concussion concerns may lead to fewer boys playing football. With new advancements coaches are now being educated on how to deal with concussions and how to teach safer ways to tackle. Like tackling with their heads up and to lead contact with their shoulders not heads. New programs such as Heads Up Football program are funded by the NFL. This is also happening on into high school league football. Parents wants to make sure their children are safe. Because children start playing contact sports at such a young age, they play sports longer and are putting themselves at a greater risk for concussions. 

From all of the research presented we conclude that concussions are a very serious issue affecting youth, athlete and even into the elderly. There is evidence that some people are well-informed on the topic while others are still questioning many things. We know for sure there are many immediate as well as slower symptoms. These symptoms can have both short and long term effects on anyone who encounters a concussion. Concussions are more common in athletes in contact sports, over 1.6 million Americans suffer a sports-related concussion every year. The great progression of concussion research has led to the advancement of detection and treatment. This research is to avoid brain disorders that will come later in life from concussions, disorders like CTE. Overall, concussions will remain under investigation until the number of concussions each year has a dramatic decrease. 