HS Football Concussion By: Elzir Stroman aNd Nnaemeka Afunugo
Concussion- A traumatic brain that can change how your brain works. Usually caused by a blow to the head, and/or when the head/upper body causes the brain to be shaken inside your skull resulting in the bruising of the brain.
After impact the player might be confused with a headache and/ fuzzy or blurry vision. Might feel groggy when moving, feel nausea, or dizzy. Might have difficulty concentrating with sensitivity to noise and light, also might have balance problems.
Some people could have emotional problems like irritability, sadness, nervousness or anxiety, or may become more emotional.
All these problems can lead to less sleep or trouble sleeping. And if their head hurts it could lead to too much sleep.
May lose consciousness, but most do not.
More than 14,000 high schools have a football program resulting in 1,085,182 student-athletes playing football in America last year in the 14-15 school year. Making the sport the most popular high school sport in the US.
Another 2011 study reported that, for all athletes, concussion rates in high school athletics have increased by 16% annually from the 1997-1998 to 2007-2008 academic years, possibly resulting from an increase in injury or diagnosis.
At least one player sustains a mild concussion in nearly every American football game.
There are approximately 67,000 diagnosed concussions in high school football every year.
According to research by The New York Times, at least 50 youth football players (high school or younger) from 20 different states have died or sustained serious head injuries on the field since 1997.
Imaging modalities like CT scans, MRIs, and PET scans are very effective in determining structural abnormalities in the brain after a traumatic injury.
Concussions are often characterized by functional, neurometabolic damages in the brain and require other types of cognitive and postural stability tests to assess the severity and extent of any damage.
Neuropsychological tests are designed to measure cognitive skills and abilities such as intelligence, problem solving, memory, concentration, impulse control, and reaction time, to name a few.
At the Sports Concussion Institute, both computerized and standard paper-and-pencil tests are utilized to gather evidence-based, comprehensive data on cognitive functioning before (i.e., Baseline Test) and after (i.e., Post-Injury Test) a concussive injury occurs.
After passing the computerized neuropsychological test procedures that acts as the "cornerstone for concussion management", concussion patients will start to begin the journey back to playing again.
Patients at SCI will undergo balance testing which has been shown to be an effective.
After a comprehensive interview, a full assessment of patient symptoms will take place. Because of the complex nature of concussions, a multi-factorial, multi-disciplinary approach must be taken to ensure the safety and well-being of the patient, and only after all these factors indicate that the athlete can safely participate in their sport will he or she be cleared for Returning to Play.
This public service announcement has been brought to you by the Applied Sports Medicine students at Central York High School
Works Cited
"Concussion." - Mayo Clinic. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
"Concussion: MedlinePlus." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.
Gessel, Luke M., Sarah K. Fields, Christy L. Collins, Randall W. Dick, and R. Dawn Comstock. "Concussions Among United States High School and Collegiate Athletes." Journal of Athletic Training. National Athletic Trainers Association, Autumn 2007. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.
"Participation Statistics." Participation Statics. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
"Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.