Annie Christofferson Block 1 Mrs.

Warneke Concussions It is a silent killer, a mystery that some people do not catch until it is too late, an injury that not even a helmet can fully protect; it is a concussion. Over 3.8 million concussions are suffered each year by athletes in the USA and 50% of them go unreported (Harmon). Of the ones that are reported, 300,000 of those concussions are suffered each year by high school athletes (Whitmer). That number has been increasing by about 16% since 2007, and if nothing is done about it, will keep increasing (Whitmer). Athletes all over the country are associating concussions with bravery, and trying to play through them without realizing the lasting consequences and possible fatal outcomes of concussions. Headgear such as helmets and headbands have been used in an attempt to prevent such severe head injuries, but what is the most effective way? The safety on the player doesnt depend on the headgear, but on the athlete and the coaches themselves. The first time concussions were really brought into light was in 1928, when the Journal of the American Medical Association did a study on the long term effects of concussions. Up until that time, concussions had been seen as a minor injury and were, for the most part, ignored by the public. The Medical Association concluded that there is a very definite brain injury due to single or repeated blows on the headwhich cause multiple concussion hemorrhages. The condition can no longer be ignored by the medical profession or the public. (Blum). When published, the study investigated the relation of athlete concussions to dementia. The study was on former professional boxers, who had suffered from severe blows to the head during their career. Although none of them were fighting anymore, they were each suffering from some sort of head trauma. Dr. Harrison Martland was behind the study, and he wanted to see if the head trauma had

Annie Christofferson Block 1 Mrs. Warneke anything to do with the previous blows to the head while boxing. Four of the men were in asylums suffering from dementia, two were unable to form sentences, one had Parkinsons disease, and two had trouble walking. What Martland realized was that in each of these men, there was a reoccurring scarred tissue that was not present in most peoples brains. He called this tissue gliosis. Gliosis is now known to be associated with Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease. Martland came to the realization that concussions are slow to heal and, if not healed fully or correctly, can result in other cerebral injuries later in life. That was acknowledged over eighty years ago, and it is still a problem now (Blum). Although the long term effects of concussions were proven decades ago, concussions still stand as an obstacle for many athletes currently. Max Conradt, a 17 year old, had a future ahead of him in football. During a game he got a big hit to the head but, not wanting to quit, he got up and kept going. After the game he collapsed. He was rushed to the hospital and it was discovered that in the course of two weeks, Max had had a handful of concussions, and had done nothing about them. Blood was pooling in his brain, which could have been fatal. Although Max did not die, he will have the mental capacity of a 9 year old for the rest of his life. Because no one had pulled Max out of the game, Maxs parents were furious. They lobbied legislators to pass Maxs Law. This law put strong restrictions on players returning to games after suffering from a concussion. It also placed strong requirements on concussion training for coaches. Another tragic ending was of a 14 year old boy in Washington who complained of a headache after getting hit hard in football, but, wanting to be brave, he returned to playing. He died the next morning. Because he really did have a concussion and didnt do

Annie Christofferson Block 1 Mrs. Warneke anything about it, the swelling in his brain became fatal and eventually took his life. These are just some of the tragedies that are a result of concussions (Smith). Like the previous stories, many concussions happen during football, but concussions are not limited to football. In fact, many factors affect an athletes vulnerability to a concussion. Second to football in concussion risk and number of concussions recorded is girls soccer. The sports where both girls and boys can play (ex. soccer), girls have reported to have twice the amount of concussions of the boys that play the same sport. This is because the neck muscles of a girl are naturally weaker and more fragile than that of a boy. Why does this matter? Well, the same blow to the head that could give a boy a headache, may be hazardous to a girl. Researchers are also finding that those with long, lean necks are more likely to get concussed because of the vulnerability of the neck muscles (Profile...). Some more subtle factors may be even more dangerous when it comes to risk and danger of concussions. One in particular has resulted in fatalities all over. Researchers call this post concussive vulnerability. Post concussive vulnerability is the high risk for a second concussion after the first. If the signs and symptoms are not recognized, this will typically result in fatal brain swelling. People that have brain disorders are also more at risk when it comes to concussions. They may not be more at risk, but if one has a brain disorder or frequent migraines, it is harder for doctors to recognize and diagnose a concussion (Harmon). A prime example of this is something that has occurred this year at Byron High School. Senior Nick Laning suffers from frequent, severe migraines. He recently got his third concussion, and because of his migraines, doctors were nervous to go in and do tests on his brain. As a result, they have not been able to tell him what exactly is wrong or completely cure it, and it is just

Annie Christofferson Block 1 Mrs. Warneke something he will have to live with. Because he has had multiple concussions and suffers from frequent headaches, he is an example of someone who is more vulnerable to another concussion. Nick also has been instructed not to participate in football anymore, which is one of the negative consequences of concussions. The consequences become worse as people become more vulnerable, and the vulnerability factors are teeming. If doctors know what heightens concussion rates and what the negative consequences are, why dont they do something about it? Thats a question many people are asking themselves. The truth is, even all the knowledge in the world about concussions still wont be able to completely eliminate them. The reason is because a concussion has to deal with the brain, and the brain is not a fixed body part. Protecting the skull is one thing, but the brain is a whole other picture. The brain can be compared to a boat at sea; it just floats back and forth. The skull is there to protect the brain, but it doesnt anchor it in place and keep it from moving back and forth. A couple of solutions have been proposed and are being used today that have shown to help reduce concussions, but not totally get rid of them. One of these solutions is a helmet. Football is probably the most common sport played with a helmet, and the hopes is that the amount of concussions would decrease with the type of helmet used. Another solution used is a cushioned headband. Many of the headbands look somewhat like sweatbands, while others have a foamier look to them. If a concussion cant be prevented, proper recovery is necessary for healing for the brain, and rest is the most important part of that recovery. This would help prevent long term brain injury in concussion victims. There are also things that coaches can do, such as restricting playing time with head injuries, or encouraging the player to rest and recover. These would play a significant role in

Annie Christofferson Block 1 Mrs. Warneke reducing not only the amount of concussions, but also the effects of them (Rydberg), (Smith), (Thompson). Helmets are incredibly popular when it comes to head protection. People are seen wearing them in sports such as football, baseball, lacrosse, and other high contact sports. Obviously its a tradition to wear them, but do they really give all the protection that they boast to give? Helmets are incredibly protective to the head and skull. They provide a cushion for head to head collisions and take the big hits so they dont go directly to your skull. If not wearing a helmet, one could easily fracture their skull and do other head damage that could be permanent. Although helmets protect the head, they dont protect the brain as much. The brain is where the concussion occurs, and since helmets cant do as much to protect the brain, they are not 100% helpful in preventing concussions. Helmets can keep the head from jostling, which keeps the brain from hitting the sides of the head, but when the head is jostled, helmets dont prevent brain injury. As said earlier, the brain can be looked at like a boat floating. It moves with the water and isnt anchored down. The brain isnt anchored down, it just floats. So when there is sudden movement, the brain moves as well (Thompson). Some companies think that a more expensive, nicer helmet will work better, but in reality, it does not make a huge difference if athletes have the new 2013 helmet or the 2003 helmet, as long as it is properly fitted (Rydberg). Each helmet does the same thing, which is not much when it comes to shielding and protecting the brain. Helmets are very effective in protecting the head, but do not quite get the job done when it comes to concussions (Thompson). A close companion to the helmet when it comes to trying to protect the head is the headband. Headbands are more commonly seen in sports like soccer or lacrosse, where

Annie Christofferson Block 1 Mrs. Warneke helmets are not used frequently. The headband was first produced by Jeff Skeen, a former helmet manufacturer. He had had over 20 concussions himself, and after his daughter suffered from concussions in soccer, he wanted to come up with a product to help prevent concussions. The idea he came up with was the Full 90 Headband....which reduces typical impact forces by up to 50 percent (Profile: Contact Sport). There have been some arguments about if this product actually works, and may have come to the conclusion that though a headband may reduce the impact force, it brings up a couple other problems on the way. It suggests that if one is wearing the headband, he/she can play more aggressively than normal. One girl claimed that I can be aggressive and do the things I want without having the risk of getting a concussion (Profile: Contact Sports). Reality, on the other hand, tells a different story. Soccer player Natasha Helmick used the headband in hopes that it would prevent her from getting concussions. She saw it as a sense of security, and therefore, played even more aggressively than before. Her soccer career ended with her 5th concussion AFTER starting to use the headband. Although the headband does provide a cushion between the head and the impact, it does not prevent concussions. The headband may, in fact, provide less protection than the helmet, because it stabilizes the head even less. There is definitely some good thought going into these products that try to prevent concussions, but for this one, the bad results may outweigh the good ones. Neuro radiologist Charlotte Rydberg is a current employee at Mayo and says that she sees a lot of patients with concussions, and although concussions are still an issue, it is great that there is so much awareness in sports(Rydberg). Like most doctors, Charlotte Rydberg believes in full recovery before returning to play. If someone cant

Annie Christofferson Block 1 Mrs. Warneke prevent a concussion, the very least they can do is allow for full recovery. No game is as important as [the] brain(Rydberg). Most athletes underestimate the recovery time for their concussion. Even for minor concussions, a few days to a week is sufficient(Rydberg). A lot of times a student will take a day at most, off and then think that they are good to go back to practice. That is a huge risk because, It is very important to not put yourself in a position to get a second concussion until you have fully recovered from the first. All symptoms of the first concussions should be resolved before even considering returning to a contact sport or activity with the risk of a second injury. A second concussion, even a minor one, can be devastating(Rydberg). The prevention of multiple concussions is rather simple; it just requires a lot of patience. Although many devices and products are trying to be made to help prevent concussions, a lot of the responsibility comes down to the athlete and the coach. Playing through an injury is often associated with bravery and dedication to the team. Athletes feel that if they sit out, they are wimping out or not giving their all. This is the farthest mindset from the truth. Coaches are also a factor in this. They can often times be so caught up in success that they are not looking out for the well-being of their players. They may be educated in the signs and symptoms of a concussion, but they are not always proactive in looking for them. Coaches and athletes both need to swallow their pride and stop associating concussions with bravery. Of course helmets should always be fitted properly and, if desired, headbands worn, but aside from that, education is the most important thing. Coaches and players both need to be educated on the dangers of concussions, and coaches need to be overly cautious, rather than not cautious enough. They need to make athletes feel like they can sit out without being punished in future

Annie Christofferson Block 1 Mrs. Warneke playing time. They need to show the athletes that they would rather have the students sit out than play through the pain. The solution is as simple as that, and yet it is still so hard to make that happen in todays society. Another key part is the amount of rest time given to the player. As a coach, rest time should error on the side of too much rather than too little. All of these are just easy precautions that should be taken to ensure the protection of the brain. Even all of the headgear in the world cannot have the same impact that a coach or a player can have on reducing concussions. Concussions have been a concept of interest since the 1920s, and are still an interest today. The negative consequences are fatal and can result in death or permanent brain damage. The brain is like a boat floating on the water, and cannot be stabilized with either a helmet or a headband, although they do help with reducing the force of the impact. Doctors are still not sure of a way to completely prevent concussions, but it has been shown that rest and recovery is a necessity when it comes to preventing later brain damage from concussions. Because both athletes and coaches hold the prime responsibility in recognizing concussions, proper education is necessary in order to ensure full safety on the field. This silent killer does its work on 3.8 million athletes a year, and it wont stop unless something is done to stand in its way.

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Works Cited Blum, Deboah. Will Science Take the Field? nytimes.com. N.p., 04 Feb. 2010. Web. 09 Oct. 2013. Concussion. Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 22 Feb. 2011. Web. 05 Oct. 2013. Harmon, Kimberly G, et al. American Medical Society for Sports Medicine position statement: concussion in sport. British Journal of Sports Medicine 47.1 (2012): n.pag. Web. 30 Sept. 2013. "Newscast: Pop Warner Football rewriting rule book to try to protect players from concussions." NBC Nightly News [Transcript] 12 June 2012. Student Resources In Context. Web. 1 Oct. 2013. "Profile: Contact Sport; concussions in girls soccer and a headgear that may help." NBC Nightly News [Transcript] 7 June 2012. Student Resources In Context. Web. 17 Oct. 2013. "Profile: New focus on the number of girls getting concussions from playing soccer."NBC Nightly News [Transcript] 9 May 2012. Student Resources In Context. Web. 1 Oct. 2013 Rydberg, Charlotte, MD. Personal interview. 11 October 2013.

Annie Christofferson Block 1 Mrs. Warneke Smith, Stephanie Concussions extra dangerous to teen brains cnn.com. N.p., 04 Feb. 2010. Web. 07 Oct. 2013. Thompson, Dennis. "Concussion Prevention: Pass on Pricey Football Helmets, Study Suggests; Rule changes are what's needed to protect young athletes, expert says." Consumer Health News [English] 13 July 2013. Student Resources In Context. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.

Whitmer, Regina. "Preventing athletic emergencies: new guidelines target cardiac arrest, heat stroke, and concussions on playing fields." District Administration Sept. 2013: 40+. Student Resources In Context. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.