Concussions in the World of Sports
Maxx Hotton
Wake Forest University
Head trauma and concussions, the media talks about, physicians talk about it, coaches talk about it, and players can hear enough about it, but what really is a concussion? This is a topic that billions of dollars are being spent on research, and the National Football League just gave out a $765 million settlement concerning former and current NFL players with repercussions from previous head trauma. This is clearly an important issue, and there still is a shroud of mystery surrounding the injury, and the frightening part about it is that someone can experience a concussion and not even know it until the effects have set in. This report will look into concussions and how it affects the athletes.
A concussion is a type of head trauma where the brain …show more content…
There are three different kinds of impact that the brain undergoes during a concussion: coup, a sudden acceleration causes the brain to hit the back of the skull, countercoup, the opposite occurs, a sudden deceleration that causes the brain to hit the front of the skull, and last a rotational concussion, which is when the head rapidly rotates from one side to another causing cutting or damaging of tissues in the brain. So, what type of damage does this cause in the brain? Simply, it damages the nerve cells of the brain, inhibiting the axons from transporting brainwaves, and in serious cases, can cause cerebral hemorrhaging. These injuries can cause anything from little short term repercussions to long term degenerative damage and death (Powell 2001). What are the symptoms of a concussions? Luckily, concussion systems are very apparent and are usually easy
Maxx Hotton
Wake Forest University
Head trauma and concussions, the media talks about, physicians talk about it, coaches talk about it, and players can hear enough about it, but what really is a concussion? This is a topic that billions of dollars are being spent on research, and the National Football League just gave out a $765 million settlement concerning former and current NFL players with repercussions from previous head trauma. This is clearly an important issue, and there still is a shroud of mystery surrounding the injury, and the frightening part about it is that someone can experience a concussion and not even know it until the effects have set in. This report will look into concussions and how it affects the athletes.
A concussion is a type of head trauma where the brain …show more content…
There are three different kinds of impact that the brain undergoes during a concussion: coup, a sudden acceleration causes the brain to hit the back of the skull, countercoup, the opposite occurs, a sudden deceleration that causes the brain to hit the front of the skull, and last a rotational concussion, which is when the head rapidly rotates from one side to another causing cutting or damaging of tissues in the brain. So, what type of damage does this cause in the brain? Simply, it damages the nerve cells of the brain, inhibiting the axons from transporting brainwaves, and in serious cases, can cause cerebral hemorrhaging. These injuries can cause anything from little short term repercussions to long term degenerative damage and death (Powell 2001). What are the symptoms of a concussions? Luckily, concussion systems are very apparent and are usually easy