My first exposure to a concussion was when one of my friends in my freshman year hit her head on a bathroom door, causing an injury that prevented her from concentrating in class or doing homework and required her to wear sunglasses indoors for a few weeks. While I had sympathy for my friend, I had never experienced a concussion myself and had trouble imagining the experience. How, I wondered, could such a seemingly small injury could have such drastic effects? However, this unit has drastically altered my understanding of concussions. My understanding of concussions has evolved from uninformed ignorance to informed understanding about the commonness of concussions, how they are sustained, and research being done into their long-term impacts on the brain.
Before this unit, I was unaware of the pervasiveness of concussions outside of contact sports. I had initially assumed that concussions were infrequent events that could only happen in contact sports like football. It was surprising, therefore, to …show more content…
Given the dangers of concussions, I would be hesitant to let my son play football. However, I realize that not only can one sustain a concussion doing almost anything (as my friend learned the hard way) but that innovations are being made to better detect concussions and CTE, such as measuring Tau levels in the brain as suggested by the Newsweek article “Tau could be the Key to Monitoring Brain Damage from Concussions.” These innovations could later lead to better treatment. But ultimately, I have learned that what might be the best “cure” for the effects of concussions might be increased education about these topics in the sports world and beyond—so that instead of “playing through the pain,” people are encouraged to get the help they
Before this unit, I was unaware of the pervasiveness of concussions outside of contact sports. I had initially assumed that concussions were infrequent events that could only happen in contact sports like football. It was surprising, therefore, to …show more content…
Given the dangers of concussions, I would be hesitant to let my son play football. However, I realize that not only can one sustain a concussion doing almost anything (as my friend learned the hard way) but that innovations are being made to better detect concussions and CTE, such as measuring Tau levels in the brain as suggested by the Newsweek article “Tau could be the Key to Monitoring Brain Damage from Concussions.” These innovations could later lead to better treatment. But ultimately, I have learned that what might be the best “cure” for the effects of concussions might be increased education about these topics in the sports world and beyond—so that instead of “playing through the pain,” people are encouraged to get the help they