Concussions in Pro Sports
Have you ever experienced a concussion? A concussion is a form of brain injury, also known as minor head trauma or mild head injury, resulting from punches, falls, blunt force trauma, or any other impact to the head. Headaches, emotional irritability, and unpredictability are all common symptoms of a concussion. Concussions in pro sports are becoming an international problem because they are becoming more and more common; they can end careers, and can have long term affects on the brain if not treated properly. Concussions are becoming more and more common and advanced research is showing that concussions may be more dangerous than we initially thought. 3,800,000 concussions were reported in 2012, double what was reported in 2002. “The evidence suggests that concussions-or the proper acknowledgement of-appear to be on the rise in all areas of professional sports.” (Concussions In Pro Sports: An Overview) All research is pointing out that concussions are on the rise throughout the whole sports world. “In the first 6 weeks of the 2010 season, the NFL had already added nearly fifty players to the injury list with concussions or similar injuries.” (Concussions In Pro Sports: An Overview) The Mayo Clinic says “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that approximately 1.6 million to 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur annually in the United States, although the true incidence is probably much higher. Under reporting may be due to the fact that athletes, coaches, trainers, family and even some health care professionals are unaware of the symptoms and treatment options for concussion. And athletes who experience concussion sometimes fail to report their symptoms to avoid losing playing time.” Doctors cannot pinpoint the exact amount of concussions that occur annually because hundreds of thousands of concussions are received without being recorded or getting any medical attention. Many players do not want to spend time not participating in their