Concussions

Research Paper

Matthew Sanders

April 15, 2013

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Concussions have recently become one of the hottest topics in all of professional sports. Not just in the usual sports you would expect them to be apart of, such as hockey, football, and lacrosse which are all fast paced and almost always hard hitting, but they have also become a part of baseball as well, which is more of a passive, patient, and more slower paced activity. Regardless of the sport, this is a different type of injury, as it deals with your brain. Your brain just happens to be one of your most important organs. This is why the recent increase in concussions has been a huge concern in sports talk. "These injuries are very concerning and can sometimes prove to be fatal"(Mayo 1). Concussions have caused major problems for past athletes, and will continue to plague many others over their careers unless the correct steps are taken to ensure player safety in regards to all sports. The most common and least serious type of traumatic brain injury is called a concussion. "As many as three million eight hundred thousand concussions are sustained in any given year, as this is an estimated number from a collection of doctoral notes"(WebMD 1). These three million plus concussions are diagnosed usually by leading two causes, which are recreational activities, and sporting events. The brain is made of soft tissue. It's cushioned by spinal fluid and encased in the protective shell of the skull. When you sustain a concussion, the impact can jolt your brain.
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Sometimes, it literally causes it to move around in your head. Traumatic brain injuries can cause bruising, damage to the blood vessels, and injury to the nerves. Yes, concussions are said to be the least serious type of brain injury, but over time, and with the occasional reoccurrence this injury is considered to be incredibly dangerous. If a person sustains enough concussions, or a few powerful ones, it can potentially cause death. Once a person sustains a concussion, immediately their chances of having and or receiving another s increased tremendously. There is no found cure for such an injury. There is no treatment that can fix your brain once you are diagnosed with a concussion. With no treatments and no cures some might ask "Well how do you get rid of your symptoms?" As a person who has sustained seven concussions, I can honestly say there is no way to ever get rid of your symptoms. The best thing that worked for myself was getting rest. That is the number one way to remain symptom free for an extended period of time. The more rest you get, the less powerful and frequent your symptoms will be. "Also the use of cellular devices, television, computers, and any other handheld electronics are frowned upon during this time"(Mancini). Any use of electronics is a big no-no to any doctor or physician. When they say rest is the best way to become temporarily symptom free, it really is.

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You will never fully lose your symptoms. They will always linger around and haunt you for the rest of your life. Concussions have became a huge topic in the sports world, due to their recent surge and increase in the number of concussions in all sports.
In the recent years of sports, we have seen some unfortunate hits in baseball, to the often and usual dirty blind side and helmet to helmet hits of football, to the also dirty and classless boarding and hitting from behind calls of hockey. Players have been going for the "big hits" and there is always a price to pay. In football we have seen repeat offenders of the helmet to helmet hits get hit even harder by fines and suspensions. In hockey we have seen players get hit by the unfortunate puck to the face, as well as the usual dirty boarding hits which usually can land the suspect with a heavy fine as long as a suspension. As for baseball they are focused on