The Dangers Of Concussions In Professional Sports

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In 2012, over 3.5 million concussions were reported in athletes nation wide, double what was reported in 2002. Common symptoms of a concussion range from fatigue to a mild headache, but long term sustaining too many concussions can result in permanent brain damage.

At the University of Sioux Falls trainers take extra precaution to secure the safety of their players. Although widely publicized in Football, concussions happen in every sport. AUSF soccer player, Alexa D’Acunto says football is not the only sport an athlete can receive a concussion in.

“Dangers of playing soccer I would say [are] probably pretty closely related to football injuries because we are a heavily contacted sport and it is easy for us to get concussions, that is probably the biggest injury that we can get.,” says D’Cunto.
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“We were just running drills and one of my teammates while I was fielding, she was the base runner who hit,” Cain says. “She ran into me and I kind of got blindsided and immediately did not know where I was and I was not okay, but I practiced because that is what you did I was a underclassmen and I wanted to play so desperately.”

After the conclusion of practice, Cain went back to her dorm, took a shower, and slept for several days which she has no recollection of. Along with confusion, other symptoms of a concussions include nausea, headaches, and blurry vision.

Coaches and training staff try to prevent injuries by practicing smart and making sure players are using the proper protective gear.

“First and foremost, with just practicing smart we try to limit the number of full speed blows that can happen,” Mathers says.” It is not always the physical contact with the head, it can be the whipping of the head and the whiplash effect and a lot of different things that can cause a concussion.”

At USF, each concussion case is handled on a case-by-case study by the training