Essay on Managing The Risk Of Concussions

Submitted By Rayleigh-Staba
Words: 3254
Pages: 14
Open Document
Rayleigh Staba
Professor Shawn Jasinski
Writing and Critical Inquiry
November 4, 2014
Managing the Risk of Concussions Imagine that one day you woke up and could no longer do the simple things you enjoy in life. What if you couldn’t even read the paper, or watch a movie with a loved one? Many current and former athletes are suffering through this every day, and the reason for this is long-term brain damage, which is a direct result of concussions. Unfortunately concussions have been rising at an alarming rate. This trend has not only been occurring in big money professional sports, but also in amateur sports like youth soccer. Concussions are quickly becoming an epidemic across the entire sporting world. Each year about 300 000 amateur and professional athletes suffer head injuries (Mcphee 1). Athletics must make some significant changes to deal with this ongoing crisis. First of all, more research must be done on concussions and athletes must be more informed about the risks they are taking. Secondly, the athletic community must look at the role of technology in sports and decide how it should be applied to help improve this situation. Finally, the governing bodies of sport must implement rule changes to protect athletes from unnecessary risks during competition. Until these issues are addressed, this alarming trend of long-term brain injury will continue throughout the sporting world.
A concussion is most often defined as a trauma induced alteration in mental status that may or may not involve loss of consciousness (Leclerc 2). Concussions can be sorted into three grades. The least serious is a grade one or mild concussion; this type of concussion occurs when there is no loss of consciousness and the posttraumatic amnesia is less than thirty minutes. The second grade of concussion is a grade two or moderate concussion. An athlete who suffers a grade two concussion either lost consciousness for less than 5 minutes or displays posttraumatic amnesia for more than thirty minutes. The most serious type of concussion is a grade three or severe concussion. A grade three concussion involves either the loss of consciousness for more than five minutes or posttraumatic amnesia lasting more than twenty-four hours (Roos 2). One of the most concerning elements of head injuries is how very little we know; more studies must be done and the athletes and coaches must become more educated about this issue. The embarrassing reality in today’s sporting world is that we know very little about the causes and effects of head injuries. Granted we have made leaps and bounds over the past decade or so, we are still just scratching the surface when it comes to understanding concussions. One of the biggest challenges facing the study of concussions is finding a standardized way of evaluating them. During my research I was astonished to learn how many different ways concussions are interpreted. The biggest problem when evaluating concussions is the inconsistencies of the injury. In some cases one single concussion can be life threatening while in other cases athletes can suffer several serious concussions and suffer only minimal effects. Figuring out why concussions differ so much will be one of the keys to understanding concussions.
One of the largest obstacles hampering research is funding. There is obviously a massive amount of research that must be conducted; the question is who should pay for it? Studies on head injuries can range anywhere from $30 000 to over $160 000 (Potter 2 & 3). Contrary to what many people believe I do not think that the government should supply the capital that is needed for research. My opinion is that the sports world should collectively fund the massive amount of research that must be undertaken. The professional sporting leagues around the world must lead the other sporting organizations in contributing financially to understanding concussions. This is only logical since professional sports have the most
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Managing The Risk Of Concussions

The Importance Of Concussions In Football

injuries without damaging the skull. Concussions, diseases, disorders and tumors, are all types of injuries brains can undergo without damage to the skull. When an individual undergoes a concussion, memory loss, dizziness, loss of balance and many more symptoms will occur, due to the injuries done unto the brain. Football has had a history of players dealing with concussions, many lawsuits, court cases and even fatalities have been suffered from this injury. Concussions unfortunately are not the only…

Words 913 - Pages 4

Return To Play Liability Case Study

trainers, and organizations are held to a higher standard in their conduct than that of an ordinary person. There is no liability for failure to protect athletes against all risks inherent in athletics. However, actors can be liable for taking an action that increases risks to an athlete or failing to prevent foreseeable risks and dangers. In many cases, Return to Play Liability One of the most common areas of potential liability is “return to play” decisions. Return to play decisions can be broadly…

Words 1166 - Pages 5

Gender Inequality In Sports

Women have and continue to face many setbacks while playing sports, but with those setbacks comes positives. From learning that they have to look a certain way to getting paid seventy times less than their male counterparts, women face endless inequality in sports. One great example of how society is teaching women to think about their looks before their talent is Mo’ne Davis. Mo’ne had made the cover of Sports Illustrated, and she was discussing what she thought of it with a filmmaker. Mo’ne’s first…

Words 2825 - Pages 12

Lacrosse: a Closer Look Essay

Lacrosse Ebony Pearcy Coppin State University School of Education Kinesiology 303-001: Athletic Training and Conditioning Professor Wes Magness May 1, 2013 Lacrosse is a very fast game, the object of which is to send the ball through the opponents’ goal as many times as possible and to prevent one’s opponents from scoring. A goal counts one point. Men’s teams usually have 10 players: the goalkeeper, three defensemen, three midfielders (one of whom is the centre), and three attack men. During…

Words 3023 - Pages 13

Alzheimer's Research Paper

Alzheimer’s is a currently untreatable disease that is characterized initially by the loss of functional memory, followed unavoidably by diminished motor and verbal memory and the subsequent inability to function. (Text book) The central nervous system simply, is the processing center for the entire nervous system. The central nervous system is comprised of a complex network of neurons that are responsible for interpreting information from all parts of the body. The two main organs of this…

Words 1200 - Pages 5

Medical Documentation: Understanding Legal Responsibilities with Case Examples Essay

 Understanding your responsibilities in accurate documentation ◦ Medically and Legally      Vehicle Accidents ◦ Criminal and Civil Issues Getting Lost ◦ Bad Dispatch Information ◦ Crew unfamiliarity with service area Abandonment Dropping Patients Dead Equipment Problems ◦ “Dead Defibrillators” ◦ Empty Oxygen Tanks ◦ Inoperable EMS Equipment   Patient Care Issues ◦ Airway Management ◦ Improper Extrication ◦ Spinal Immobilization ◦ Wrong Medications  Dosage Problems  Overmedication…

Words 4285 - Pages 18

Exam Review Essay

everything Causes Habitat destruction Rollers plow through anything in its way Gigantic net that can fit 33 jumbo jets Leaves tracks that can be seen from space Line-caught Traditional charter fishing Other methods Dynamite Giving the fish such a bad concussion they die and float to the top Poison Gillnet Once fish swim into the net there gills get stuck Commercial Fishing issues Bycatch—fish or other marine life caught unintentionally. Can me limited if a metal gage only allowing the size of fish…

Words 2441 - Pages 10

Pdhpe Notes Hsc Essay

Measuring Health Status Role of Epidemiology Epidemiology the study of disease in groups of populations through the collection of data and information, to identify patterns and causes * Epidemiology considers the patterns of disease in terms of: Prevalence (number of causes of disease in population at a 
specific time) Incidence (number of new cases of disease occurring in a 
population) Distribution (the extent) Apparent causes (determinants and indicators) 
 Epidemiology commonly…

Words 6030 - Pages 25

Stadiums Increase Budgets, Heighten Security Measures To Protect Fans

7/10/2014 Stadiums increase budgets, heighten security measures to protect fans - ESPN The Magazine - ESPN Sign In or Register EDITIONS: USA ESPAÑOL More Australia Brazil United Kingdom CITIES: BOSTON CHICAGO DALLAS LOS ANGELES NEW YORK ESPN Search Shop Commentary Industry of fear It's time to ask: Have all the bag checks and armed guards made us safer or just more aware of the danger? Updated: September 11, 2011, 9:46 AM ET By Peter Keating | ESPN The Magazine Recommend61 Tweet51 Comments11…

Words 3632 - Pages 15