Concussions Research

Every year “hundred of thousands college and high school student athletes receive sport related concussions” (Meadows 107-108). Not only do the athletes who play the hard hitting contact sports such as football and hockey receive concussions, the basketball players and soccer players receive them as well. Even though most of the concussions received were mild or grade 1 concussion “athletes still receive severe symptoms due to being able to participate too soon” (Solomos 2435-2436).

In order to protect college and high school athletes, colleges and high schools have to take concussions more seriously and adopt new safety guidelines for concussions injuries. It is necessary for athletes to know the dangers of concussions. A concussion happen when an “impact to the head makes the brain move around in the skull” (Vance A36-A38). Due to the force of the impact concussions can cause minor or major head trauma. There are three different stages or grades of concussions “A minor concussion or grade one concussion may involve being dazed, head ringing, a minor headache, and a very brief loss of consciousness.

A more severe concussion such as a grade 2 concussion may cause being blacked out, confusion, a pounding headache, and blurred vision. The most server concussion or grade 3 concussion may cause being blacked out, nausea or vomiting, loss of short term memory, and saying the same thing over and over”(Cunha 581-585). The most dangerous symptoms occur when a player is cleared to play before he/she has fully recovered from their concussion. When an athlete is cleared to play before he/she has fully recovered that is when death can occur.

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Not only are concussions common in college sports but concussions are more common and more dangerous in high school sports. In an experiment done by American Family Physician writer Richard Sadovsky found out many interesting facts about college and high school athletes who suffer from concussions. “According to Sadovsky college athletes had a higher rate of loss of consciousness than high school athletes, but at 24 hours after injury, longer memory impairment was higher in high school athletes”(171-172).

Also Sadovsky found out that “post concussion symptoms lasted longer in high school athletes then in college athletes” (171-172). Sadovsky also concluded “that neuropsychological recovery was slower in high school athletes” (171-172). To explain the difference between college and high school, the author stated that there is “more prolonged cerebral swelling in less mature brains” (Sadovsky 171-172). Another reason why high school athletes have more dangerous symptoms is because not all athletes in high school are well trained or in shape for the sport they play.

Male athletes aren’t they only ones who have to worry about concussions, according to Time “female athletes suffer from more concussions than male athletes do” (Gregory 69-70). Even though contact sports such as football and hockey have the highest rates of concussions studies show that female athletes actually suffer from concussions more then males do in sports that both males and females can play. One reason is that female athletes are more common to report a concussions then male athletes.

But there are “anatomical reasons that explain why females are more likely to have a concussion diagnosed” (Gregory 69-70). The top reason why females receive more concussions then males is because research proves that men’s necks are 20% larger and 50% stronger then women’s necks”(Gregory 69-70). This is important because with bigger stronger neck muscles the athlete can balance the head during impact and lower the chances of brain being moved around during a collision.

Another reason why girls suffer more concussions is because of the way they play. Kevin Guskiewicz, director of the Sports Medicine Research Laboratory at the University of North Carolina, “has found that female athletes are more likely than male athletes to land on the floor or field with their knees locked” (Gregory 69-70). This is important because with their knees lock they have less balance, and with less balance increases there chances of hitting the ground or another player.

Reference

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/concussion/article_em.htm

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