Concussions are a very serious injury that can occur at anytime. They most commonly happen during sporting events of all kinds. What a concussion really is, is when you receive a rough blow to the head and your brain hits your skull usually causing unconsciousness. Anytime you mess with your brain it’s a bad idea, but especially if you get knocked out. A concussion is just like any other injury, where you need time to heal. When you break your leg, the doctor puts you in a cast and you are supposed to stay off of it for a few weeks so it can heal. If you do not stay off of your leg, it will continue to be broken and not heal correctly. The same goes for a concussion, you need to give your brain a break so that you don’t overwork it and damage it even worse.
In many sports, professional or recreational, players are not giving themselves enough time to properly heal before going back out on the field. For example this year in the world cup, not one but two players in the tournament went knocked completely unconscious but yet still returned to the game in less than two minutes. Clearly they were knocked out and concussed but their trainers decided it was acceptable to throw them back onto the field. This same action happens plenty of times throughout all sports, and it just simply isn’t safe.
When I received my concussion, which was a very minor one, my doctor did not allow me to get back to the sport until at least a full week of being symptom free. For me that ended up being two and a half weeks before I was capably of returning.
What are the repercussions of concussions? If you are concussed and receive another concussion you can potentially get Second-Impact Syndrome which in most cases will stay with you your whole life, and in some cases has been fatal. This shocking video shows how bad the results of this syndrome can be, which all could have been avoided if he hadn’t played too soon after his first concussion.
This is a serious problem that should be addressed by all sports organizations. Concussions aren’t taken seriously enough for what terrible things can come from them. Everyone needs to become more aware of concussions true repercussions.
Sources:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/concussion/basics/causes/con-20019272
When Is It Safe To Return To Work or Sport After A Concussion?
Concussion are definitely something that people should be more aware of just because of the potential problems it could lead to in the future. It could result in many problems such that lead from memory loss to something as extreme as personality changes. The worst is that it could lead to Alzheimer’s disease, many studies have shown that there is a direct link.
More about this study could be read at: http://consumer.healthday.com/senior-citizen-information-31/misc-aging-news-10/concussions-linked-to-alzheimer-s-risk-study-683255.html
more could be read about concussions at: http://www.brainhealth.utdallas.edu/research/research_topic/concussions
At my high school they are finally starting to take it more seriously. For all athletes that participate in any kind of sport, they require you to take a concussion baseline test. It is almost like an IQ test that tests your short term memory and reaction time for certain tasks. Once you receive a bad blow to the head they do not allow you to return to the field until you reach the same score as your baseline assessment. It is very frustrating to be kept out of the sport that you love but in hindsight it really makes sense to keep the players safe.
Yes! I definitely agree with you on the fact that concussions are extremely serious and minor concussions, although minor, may still be more serious than they are treated as. I know that lately, concussions in high school sports have been on the rise. It seems as if high school coaches and athletic directors along with school districts are taking this way more serious than professional sports are. I remember watching that soccer game you touched on and thinking “How the hell is that a proper analyzation of his injury??” I couldn’t believe they let him back on the field so soon, but then I remembered that it’s the world cup and the hugest sport in the world. As an athlete myself, I’ve received a minor concussion and I remember not thinking much of it when I bumped my head. I continued to play and my adrenaline continued to rush. Afterwards, I felt dizzy and fatigued and it wasn’t the kind of “tired” I was used to. Although minor, the doctor suggested I treat it as if it was a major case and to stay off the court until my symptoms were gone. Hated that week!! Nice blog though!
This post was extremely touching and definitely more attention grabbing being that you added the video. Duquesne is a school right in Pittsburgh, which is where I live, and I never heard about this incident before. Although I have never had a concussion myself, at least I do not think I have, I have seen many of my teammates throughout the years get them. My friend that played on my volleyball team had one before but refused to tell the coach because we were nearing playoff season. One day during a practice she just started lashing out and hitting the ground after hitting her head once again. It was definitely a traumatizing experience watching that and I would recommend to all athletes to never play through with a concussion, no matter how important the game may seem.
This is an extremely serious problem, especially in contact sports. Many athletes have this attitude of needing to “suck it up,” and continue playing. However, concussions are not to be messed with and can cause permanent mental damage. Concussion awareness has started to increase in recent years, and the NFL in particular has taken huge moves to limit players from returning to the field after sustaining a concussion. Hopefully, as more people become aware of the dangers of concussions, athletes and coaches will learn to respect them and proceed with extreme caution.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/nfl-concussions/
Concussions are definitely something that should be taken more seriously. Many people bump their heads all of the time, and don’t realize that it could be something more serious than just a small bruise. There are several symptoms corresponding with concussions, this website gives some common ones:http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/concussion/basics/symptoms/con-20019272