On a typical basis, George Fernandez is hit by sailing soccer balls, jabbed by elbows, is kicked by other players and, sometimes, flat-out knocked out cold. He has had so many concussions, he cannot remember some of them, which cause temporary lapses in the brain and sometimes longer-term side effects (Bellenir 72).
This type of behavior is one source attributing to the increased occurrence of concussions during sports activities. George’s case is a typical example of what is occurring on sports fields and arenas everyday. On local playing fields as well as in amateur sports nationwide, concussions are often viewed no differently than sprained ankles and sore muscles. Expert, Dr. Rubin Echemendia of Pennsylvania State College, has said that it is this perception on concussions that is dangerous, because it is so far from the truth (Hoffman 386).
Thus, one of the most confusing and dangerous of injuries has the sports world on What is a concussion? It is a bruise to the brain caused by a sudden blow to the head. The brain is ultra-sensitive and vulnerable to any amount of physical contact. In a normal state, the brain floats in a liquid, which separates it from the inner skull. The soft insulation prevents the brain from absorbing any pressure from the hard bone of the outer skull. In addition, the brain is covered by three protective membranes (Powell 4).
The outer most layer of the brain is called the dura mater. This layer is connected to the soft interior of the skull at various points, which serve to hold the brain within the skull. The brain sits upon a brain stem, a part of the spinal cord, which passes out the bottom of the skull through a hole, called the foramen magnum (Roy 1).
The Essay on Concussions In Sports: Tackling The Issue
It happens every game, a player gets hit very hard and is injured in some sort of way. In the current days of football, concussions are the most common and most dangerous injury there is and should be given more attention to protect players and athletes. Whether it’s short term or long term, concussions can cause serious damage to athletes brains and in serious cases put them in the ...
When the head is struck, however, the force sends the brain crashing in to the inner skull. The seriousness of the bruise, also known as cerebral contusion, determines the seriousness of the concussion. A minor bruise results in a temporary dizziness; a major bruise can produce more serious head trauma (Powell 5).
A person, who suffers an injury important enough to cause a cerebral contusion the cutting and tearing of nerve tissue, is putting them self at risk for permanent brain damage. Injuries involving some type of physical contact to the head are among the most common in society. Some 700,000 people in North America suffer traumatic head injuries each year, and between 70,000 and 90,000 are left permanently disabled. Head injuries can range from minor damage to the head and face, such as lacerations, abrasions, and bruising to more serious circumstances involving damage to the brain. While traumatic brain injury occurs much less frequently, it is important to know how it is identified and what to do for the person (Roy 1).
Loss of consciousness, even for a short period, is one of the clearer signs that a blow to the head may have affected the brain. A state of confusion, in which the victim is uncertain about such things as the time, date, or location of the events surrounding the time of the head injury, are also signs of trauma to the brain. Any of these symptoms following a blow to the head should be taken seriously (Roy 1).
With the most severe symptoms such as loss of consciousness for a few minutes or more, the person should receive medical attention quickly. With less than severe symptoms, the person should be looked after for a time span of several hours after receiving the injury. The person’s state of consciousness should be checked periodically during this time. It would be customary to check items such as orientation of time and place and immediate memory function at this time to assist in uncovering possible problems. Any evidence of deterioration may be an indication of the delayed effect of a brain injury due to swelling or bleeding in the head. Either of these would require that the person receive medical help as soon as possible. Some special consideration for how and why these symptoms arise will provide an insight into why, at times, even a mild physical contact hit to the head may have very seriously life-threatening consequences (Roy 1).
The Effects of Heroin on a Person’s Brain and Body: a Literature Review
The Effects of Heroin on a Person’s Brain and Body: A Literature Review Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine, is an illegal drug in the United States and many other countries. Heroin has devastating results on the brain and body. This paper looks at heroin’s history, its consequences on the brain and body, addiction possibilities, and available options for treatment for heroin abusers. What is ...
Unconsciousness is a common symptom of concussion. Unconsciousness may last for only a couple of minutes or a couple of hours, but rarely does it last more than a twenty four-hour period. If loss of consciousness is more than a twenty four-hour period, then it is classified as a coma. After the injured person wakes up, he/she may feel nauseated, irritable, or dizzy. Victims may have a severe headache; these symptoms may last for days to weeks or even longer after the incident. Most of the time the person cannot remember what happen to them before the injury and later may not be able to remember anything that happened in the couple of hours prior to the accident or what happened on the day after the concussion (Chasnoff 93).
Dr. Robert Cantu developed a grading system for concussions based on the harshness of the concussion. The most common is Grade 1. This is a mild concussion in which the victim does not lose consciousness and has a time of confusion for 30 seconds or less. Grade 2 is a fair concussion. With this type the injured party loses consciousness for up to a total of about 5 minute or less, and is confused for 30 minutes or more. In a Grade 3 concussion, the person has up to a total of at least 5 minutes of unconsciousness and is in a confused state for 24 hours or longer (Powell 5).
Experts say that when an athlete gets one concussion, he/she is likely to have another concussion. When a concussion occurs on a repeated basis, the athlete will experience some form of long term dysfunction and brain damage. This condition is known as second impact syndrome. Second impact syndrome, occurs when an athlete, still having some of the effects of a previous head injury, returns to the sport and is re-injured in the same manner. If an athlete in this condition is given a second blow to the head, even a small one, the results could be fatal (Powell 6).
The Essay on influence of mass media on sport
When communication is spread not just between two individuals but rather between tens of millions of people it is known as mass media. Mass media is known as the central nervous system of society. "Mass media has many different purposes, such as providing information, entertaining, persuading and also by carrying a vague general function of culture to millions of people."(Frederick 18). In order ...
While medical experts do not understand this second impact syndrome, it is known that within seconds of receiving this second hit to the head, swelling in the brain causes the athlete to go into a deep coma, often with breathing trouble. In some instances, death follows (Levy 311).
What could be the diagnosis? A small concussion usually needs no special care. The doctor’s examination is to see if there is a more serious injury that may have happened during the incident. The patient is watched for his level of consciousness, mental sharpness, and proper nerve and muscle functions and reflexes. These levels are monitored and tracked to see how the victim has been affected. A x-ray may be taken to make sure that the head has not previously been injured from another injury such as a skull fracture. This is done even though most doctors allow small fractures to heal on their own. If the patient acts unusually different or does not respond correctly to the tests, the patient might have to be hospitalized and examined by a neurologist or neurosurgeon Treatment for a concussion determines on the severity of the concussion. Once a doctor has decided that a patient has had only a simple concussion, the patient may be allowed to go home without a hospital stay. For the next 24 hours, the patient is told to relax and to take a medication no stronger than aspirin substitute, such as Motrin. A patient is usually instructed not eat solid food if he/she is vomiting. The following are also treatments for the 3 grades of major sports concussions (Chasnoff 93).
Grade 1: If the player has a grade 1 concussion, the coach should remove that player from the game. The player should be examined for amnesia and or post-concussion symptoms. If none of these are present, the player can be allowed to return to the game in about 20 minutes. If the player has had a total of three grade 1 concussions, then that person’s season should end and he/she should not return to sports within a three-month time. Grade 2: If the player receives a grade 2 concussion, that player should be removed permanently from the game. The player should be checked for any internal head injury problem. The player could return to a game in about one month’s time, but should be thinking about not completing the season. If the MRI or CAT scan shows swelling, then the player is done for that season. Grade 3: If the player receives a grade 3 concussion, he/she should be taken to the hospital with the spine immobilized and should be examined immediately. The player can return to sports in about a 2 months time after being released from the hospital. If the athlete suffers two grade 3 concussions, the season is over and the players return to contact sports should be discussed in detail with the In summary any time an individual takes part in an athletic event, he/she runs the risk of injury. The degree of that injury depends largely on the contact with other players within that sport’s setting. In reviewing the statistics on sports related injuries, one will find that concussions are actually under-viewed by the coaches and athletic staffs while doctors view the potential for harm from concussions much differently. In conclusion, concussions are a serious topic in contact sports. It needs to be viewed as possessing the potential for catastrophe, that could be a head injury causing them to end the season.
The Essay on injuries in sports
... of head injury increases the risk for sustaining subsequent MTBI,8 other potential risk factors associated with sports-related concussion have ... illness (eg, bipolar disorder and major depression). These players completed the baseline evaluation, but were excluded from further ... resolved within 15 minutes), 4 athletes sustained a grade 2 concussion (mental status abnormalities that lasted longer than ...
Bibliography:
Works Cited Page Bellenir, Karen. Health References Serious: Head Trauma.Detroit: Ominigraphies. 1997. P. 72 Chasnoff, J. Ira. “Concussions”. Family Medicine. Ed. 1997 Hoffman, Marshall. Sports Health. New York: Perigee. P. 386 Levy, M. Allen. Sports Injury Handbook. New York: John Wiley And Sons, Inc. 1993 P. 311 Powell, Shawn. “Brain and Me”. Newsday. July 7, 1996: 4-6
Roy, A. Eric. “The Anatomy of a Head Injury”. Head Injury Association of Waterloo-Welington. 11 Nov. 1999. Internet: www.ahs.waterloo.ca/~cahr/headfall.html.
The Essay on Running Head Sensory System
... various reasons. Sensorineural hearing loss can be caused by birth injury, genetic syndromes, various diseases; as a result of viruses, noise ... exposure, aging, head trauma, tumors, etc. The patient suffering from a sensorineural hearing ... Running head: SENSORY SYSTEM Sensory System July 16, 2009 Sensory System Part ...
