Imagine one incident while playing football or any other sports game, changing your entire life in the blink of an eye. Contact sports have led to a severe brain epidemic called concussions. "A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI); which can occur after an impact to the head or after a whiplash-type injury that causes the head and brain to shake quickly back and forth” ("Concussions Cause Long-Term Effects Lasting Decades"). Although this particular injury is not typically fatal, it has always been extremely dangerous to encounter. Multiple pivotal concussions can lead to another disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which is found in most football players and boxers today. Specifically, these sports require the players to be hit in the head multiple times throughout one game, without proper care. Traumatic brain injury is being highlighted more in the mainstream today because research has revealed that damage to the brain caused by a concussion can last for decades after the original head trauma and these injuries can pose a lasting health issue (1).
“The Concussion Crisis” started to get recognition in the dawn of the 21st century. Although it was just brought to the light recently, most of the subjects tested were football players who were injured during their early years in the game. The research during this time showed this tragic epidemic's leading victims were people who participated in contact sports. The safety regulations back in the day were not where they needed to be to protect the players; therefore, the rise in the number of people who suffered from concussions was elevated (Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic). Concussions have always had the potential to occur ever since the creation of man; however, it took several centuries for one man, Bennet Omalu, to take a serious look at this injury. “In 2002, he discovered the presence of a degenerative disease in the brain of former pro football player Mike Webster” ("Autopsy That Changed Football | League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis | PBS"). During his research, Dr. Omalu coined this condition as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This study revealed that the head injuries football players received while playing the game directly related to brain damage they suffered later in life. This research was impactful for the National Football League also known as the NFL because they were ill-prepared to deal with the findings; therefore, they initially neglected to address the dilemma ("Bennet Omalu").
As a community, The National Football League as a whole did not accept the study and was not engaged enough to start prevention measures to inhibit brain injury from this contact sport of football. By not prioritizing the safety of the football athletes, it resulted in death and other unfortunate traumatic brain problems later in life all for profit and entertainment ("Autopsy That Changed Football | League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis | PBS"). Even though the majority of the world loves the game of football, the game officials needed to change the way they handled the recovery for brain injuries to protect the players.
As late as 2002, a player could be involved in a major tackle that left them dizzy. Most times the incident was not deadly, but the symptoms included a horrific headache, dizziness, confusion, and even memory loss. The football trainers or doctors diagnosed the player with a concussion, but there were no established protocols for a person with a head injury. Many times the player returned to the game without any treatment.
In 2014, with the death of NFL player Dave Behrman who was diagnosed with CTE with Stage III/IV CTE dementia, the sporting community started concussion protocols that allowed a player who received a brain injury treatment and recovery time ("Autopsy That Changed Football | League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis | PBS"). It took almost 12 years from the studies by Dr. Omalu for the sporting community to act to protect the players from these dire consequences from repeated brain injuries.
Prior research documents contribute horrific reports. The following is a summary of the eye-opening revelation for the NFL with the David Behrman story:
As he got older, his interest in his workshop at home helped him focus by being alone… Sadly, the depression, confusion, memory loss, lack of motivation, secretive behavior and balance issues, attributed to CTE, began to take over as he became more and more isolated. He lost the ability to maintain interest in friendships as well as being a devoted grandparent. We didn’t understand who he was becoming or what was happening. At times he was clear thinking in making a point and just as quickly he would lose all sense of logic and understanding of the truth. We reacted with anger, hurt and resentment and his behavior was hard on family relationships—because we didn’t know. As a result, we started professional medical support for him far too late. It wasn’t until we saw the Frontline Special, League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis in October, 2013, that we began to understand what was happening to him, but the damage was done. When he died on December 9, 2014, he was diagnosed at the Boston University Medical Center for CTE with Stage III/IV CTE dementia. ("My Legacy with My Dad, Dave Behrman") Kim Clark, one of Dave Behrman’s daughters, states her dad’s condition over the years and how it dramatically affected their family.
A concussion is a common injury of this day and age. I had endured two so far in my lifetime when I was thirteen and again when I was fifteen. The first time was when I was running the last leg in the 4x1 relay for my middle school team. Just before my race, it started raining relatively hard to where I could not see the track. The district officials made the decision to continue with the track meet. As soon as the race started, the first leg girl tripped and fell out of the blocks causing my team to fall behind. By the time I got the baton, all of the other schools had finished the race at least a minute in advance. Although we were in dead last and I still could see in front of me, I ran my hardest to the finish line. Before I could cross the finish line, I ran into a coach who was not paying attention and stepped on the track just as I was crossing the finish line. I ran into this coach head first causing me to go unconscious. This incident happened in 2013, and the school district did not have any protocols for victims of concussions. My parents worked with local physicians until I recovered. The second brain injury I received proved that treatment has improved for sufferers of this injury. I was placed on treatment protocols at school and in my personal life for almost 12 weeks before being allowed to participate in my sport again. Not only did I have to be cleared by a medical doctor but also by the school doctors before returning to sports.
Concussions are a serious issue in many sports. NFL players were the initial test subjects for research for contact sport brain injuries, but the results of the studies are being implemented nationwide to protect athletes much earlier in life. Research has shown that many sports are affected by the brain injury of concussions. Today, professionals from sports, school and the medical community are learning how to prepare and prevent these life-shattering injuries. With advancements in medical research and a better comprehension of this injury, improvements are being made to help athletes recover from the various degrees of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
In the beginning, there was no logical approach to tackling this epidemic. At that time this injury was technologically too advanced, and in some ways, it still is to this day. “There is currently no reliable way to diagnose CTE. A diagnosis requires evidence of degeneration of brain tissue and deposits of tau and other proteins in the brain that can be seen only upon inspection after death” ("Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Prevention"). For there to be a solution scientist must find a way to analyze a living cerebrum without further damaging the patient. There is no getting around a Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy after a severe head injury occurs, but there are safeguards that can be taken to prevent a concussion altogether. The two leading solutions are to wear proper headgear for particular sports and for coaches to be knowledgeable of key indicators and for them to be looking for symptoms consistently.
Although helmets cannot do everything, safety should be the number one important thing to every athlete which makes them a requirement in most contact sports.
A study, conducted by researchers at the Florida Center for Headache and Sports Neurology, compared 10 of the most widely used football helmets… The results of the study found that helmets, while effective in reducing the number of skull fractures and brain contusions, are not effective in reducing the shear forces involved when an athlete sustains a concussion ("Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Tests and Diagnosis").
A common misunderstanding is that headgear can completely take away the possibility of getting hurt. This confusion can make players think because they have a helmet they can take hard hits to the head without repercussions ("Do Helmets Prevent Concussions? New Study Says No!").
It is imperative that any person in a coaching position grasp a general interpretation of the potential symptoms. Not only do the coaches need to know the symptoms they need to be able to bench a player if they see the signs.
It's difficult to evaluate concussion during play, and coaches and players should be cautious and keep injured athletes out of the game. The following signs and symptoms of concussion may be visible to coaches or to the athlete.
Danger signals:
• Loss of consciousness, even briefly
• One pupil larger than the other
• Drowsy or cannot be awakened
• A headache that gets worse
• Weakness, numbness or decreased coordination
• Repeated vomiting or nausea
• Slurred speech
• Convulsions or seizures
• Unable to recognize people or places
• Increasingly confused, restless or agitated or has other unusual behavior ("Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Prevention")
This method of a solution seems to be the most effective to prevent future concussions because in this situation all parties are involved and alert.
Works Cited
"Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Prevention." Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy/basics/prevention/con-20113581. Web. 18 March 2017.
"Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Tests and Diagnosis." Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy/basics/tests-diagnosis/con-20113581. Web. 18 March 2017.
"Do Helmets Prevent Concussions? New Study Says No!" Sport Safety International, www.sportsafetyinternational.org/new-football-helmet-study/. Web. 18 March 2017.
"The Autopsy That Changed Football | League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis | PBS." FRONTLINE, www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/the-autopsy-that-changed-football/. Web. 18 March 2017.
"Bennet Omalu." Bio, A&E Television Networks, www.biography.com/people/bennet-omalu-122315.
The Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic, www.theconcussioncrisis.com. Web. 18 March 2017.
"Concussions Cause Long-Term Effects Lasting Decades." Medical News Today, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/256518.php. Web. 18 March 2017.
"My Legacy with My Dad, Dave Behrman." Concussion Legacy Foundation, concussionfoundation.org/story/my-legacy-my-dad-dave-behrman. New York: Crown, 2014. Print.
"Concussion Education." University of Miami Concussion Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2017. <http://uconcussion.com/education/>.
UC Davis Health System, Department of Public Affairs and Marketing. "A conversation with Concussion's Bennet Omalu." A conversation with Concussion's Bennet Omalu | Winter 2015 | UC Davis Medicine Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2017.
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