Concussion Epidemic

Emily Badgley
My Project
My Original Plan

Research concussions in women's sports.

Inspiration came from personal experiences and from the movie Concussion.
Present what I found in Tedtalk.
Also to promote helmets for soccer players
Since I only have 5 minutes...
Real quick I want to tell you why this is important and where Ill go from here.
What are concussions?
A concussion is an altered mental state. (photophobia, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, etc).

Diagnosed by symptom report and mental testing.

Caused by mild to severe hits or shaking of the head, causing rapid back and forth motion of the
head. Hits that cause headaches dont always mean concussion.

Takes 90Gs and up to cause a concussion.

What is CTE?
Degenerative disease

Similar to Alzheimer disease

Causes build-up of a protein called tau.

Takes years to take hold of the brain.

Caused by repetitive head trauma (concussions, sub-concussive blows).

Why is this important?
According to the NFL at least of all NFL players will develop CTE. Meaning many players will die.

What about soccer?

Heading the ball doesnt necessarily cause concussions. Causes sub-concussive blows of 20Gs
and up. Unless from punts or goal kicks (50-100Gs).

Heading that ball is similar to the blows offensive linemen face every play.
In Soccer...
Concussions happen more from
Player to player collision

Head to ground contact

Head to head contact

Head to object contact

Difference between Women and Men in
Concussions
Women suffer more concussions than men.

Those concussions tend to be more severe.

It also takes longer for women to recover.

Why?
Possible reasons for Concussions in Women
Women Have:
25% less head neck segment mass.
5% less head neck segment length.
12% less head neck segment girth.
50% less isometric neck flexor strength.
53% less isometric extensor strength.
44% greater head acceleration.
50% more likely to get a concussion.
My Project
Change in Plans

During the process of the project I was put on protocol and realized how much I learned and how
important it is to share it.

Instead of presenting in just the Tedtalk, I will present in front of the DYSA Board of Directors.

This will be included as part of DYSAs Go Out And Lead (GOAL) initiative.

Mercy Regional Sports Medicine at every game. Helmets are helpful, trainers are better.
My Project
Reflection

This the second phase of the project.

I plan to continue this project to DYSA.

Will I be successful or not?

Ive found things that shocked and inspired me.

Conclusion
When people understand the gravity of concussions (especially in womens sports).
Know the signs.
Properly diagnose the players.
Have full player cooperation and buy into the recovery process.
More lives could be saved as a result.
A game is for an hour, your brain is for life
 Works Cited
"Concussions More Likely in Female Athletes." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 15 May 2017.

Covassin, PhD, ATC, FNATA, Tracy, ,Moran PhD, ATC, FNATA, Ryan , MS, ATC, and Elbin, PhD R. J.. "Sex Differences in Reported Concussion
Injury Rates and Time Loss From Participation: An Update of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program From
20042005 Through 2008 2009."http://natajournals.org *Michigan State University, East Lansing; University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Mar. 2016.
Web. 15 May 2017.

ESPN. "Heading Soccer Ball Equals Football Tackle Force, Study Shows." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 2 Nov. 2015. Web. 15 May 2017.

Laskas, Jeanne Marie. Concussion. London: Viking, 2016. Print.

Nslabaugh. "Do Female Athletes Concuss Differently than Males?" NCAA.org - The Official Site of the NCAA. NCAA, 11 Nov. 2015. Web. 15 May
2017.

Withnall, C. "Effectiveness of Headgear in Football." British Journal of Sports Medicine39.Supplement 1 (2005): I40-48.http://full90.com 2005.
Web. 15 May 2017.

Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. "Concussions in Female High School Athletes: Frequent but Under-reported." ScienceDaily.
ScienceDaily, 29 Sept. 2016. Web. 15 May 2017.