Traumatic brain injuries whether they occur on the football field, soccer field, ice hockey rink, or overseas in a war laden area continues to climb. Concussions continue to be on the forefront of research in the athletic setting. Even with the numerous studies looking into concussion it continues to be a mystery to researchers. With evolving research-linking concussion to various neurodegenerative diseases, other settings are being investigated to determine if there is a link with concussion and chronic disease later in life.
With this ongoing phenomenon universally the term concussion does induce a sense of fear in individuals. There is strong research that would support those fears in which there is correlation between concussions and neurodegenerative diseases including dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). (Ref) Every year millions of individuals worldwide sustain some type of brain …show more content…
It is theorized that the mechanism of a concussion involves a person’s head experiencing a sudden movement typically after an impact that causes the brain to be jolted. The skull moves first and then the brain catches up to the skull which causes an oscillation back and forth. It is thought that the brain moves very little inside the skull due to the cerebrospinal fluid acting as a protective layer and only a few millimeters of space in the cranial vault. Damage to the brain was once thought to occur mostly on the outer aspect of the brain but many researchers believe effects happen much deeper to the center of the …show more content…
(Ref) Of those 42 million people, 3.8 million are considered sport-related concussions occurring annually in the United States. (Ref) These massive numbers could suggest there is a need for objective testing to determine acceptable return to activity
With this ongoing phenomenon universally the term concussion does induce a sense of fear in individuals. There is strong research that would support those fears in which there is correlation between concussions and neurodegenerative diseases including dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). (Ref) Every year millions of individuals worldwide sustain some type of brain …show more content…
It is theorized that the mechanism of a concussion involves a person’s head experiencing a sudden movement typically after an impact that causes the brain to be jolted. The skull moves first and then the brain catches up to the skull which causes an oscillation back and forth. It is thought that the brain moves very little inside the skull due to the cerebrospinal fluid acting as a protective layer and only a few millimeters of space in the cranial vault. Damage to the brain was once thought to occur mostly on the outer aspect of the brain but many researchers believe effects happen much deeper to the center of the …show more content…
(Ref) Of those 42 million people, 3.8 million are considered sport-related concussions occurring annually in the United States. (Ref) These massive numbers could suggest there is a need for objective testing to determine acceptable return to activity