What are concussions, and what can result from them?

Concussions: What are they, and what can we learn?

Date: 31 October 2022

Source: Sports science: The bone chilling truth about concussions

Summary: Concussions lead to detrimental long-term conditions that require work to be prevented.

Introduction

A concussion is an all but uncommon injury a human being can sustain, especially in a setting of sport. In fact, 1 in every 10 athletes will suffer a concussion at least once in their life. I even have friends who have suffered upwards of 4 concussions. Concussions are some of the most detrimental injuries, as a severe concussion can alter one’s life for good. In a study conducted by the JAMA, 99% of studied brains from deceased NFL players showed major signs of CTE; a progressive brain condition fueled by excessive blows to the head. What makes these injuries so scary is that there isn’t a way they can be 100% prevented. Though you can prevent blows to the head, a severe blow to the head will always result in a concussion. Even more mysterious, 50% of concussions go undiagnosed. Because of this, all we can do is continue to learn about them.

What Are Concussions?

A concussion is a brain injury (categorized as a TBI or traumatic brain injury) in which the brain violently bounces around inside the skull. This bouncing causes a chemical change in the brain, altering and killing brain cells. Substantial blows cause these injuries to the head. Concussions aren’t always the same, as they vary depending on how substantial the blow to the head was. For example, as stated by the CDC, if the victim is lucky, a mild concussion will simply cause headaches and fatigue for a few days. However, a severe concussion will cause unconsciousness, excruciating migraines, nausea, dizziness, memory loss, blurred vision, and light/noise sensitivity for up to 2 weeks.

Concussion Protocol

When an athlete has suffered a concussion, by no means are they allowed to get back on the field. They are entered into what’s called concussion protocol. As stated by ImPACT’s concussion protocol guide, concussion protocol is “an organization’s set of policies, tools, and assessments for caring for a concussion. It outlines how the concussion care team prepares for and responds to this injury”( Pg. 4).  Most sports organizations have the same protocol and don’t stray away from one another. This process consists of multiple steps. The first step is called the sideline evaluation. This is when the team’s athletic trainer tends to the player immediately after the injury. The trainer will perform a memory screening, cognitive functioning, and concentration test. This is mainly to determine if the player needs to go to a hospital. If a concussion is present, the victim will receive a baseline cognitive screening, which measures the severity of the injury. Next is a post-injury clinical report. A post-injury clinical report is compared to a patient's baseline to show deficits in cognitive functioning and reaction time. After these steps have been completed, the victim is cleared to return to play. However, within these steps lies a plethora of room for error, even purposeful error. According to the Concussion Protocol 101 Guide, by the CDC, Sandbagging is a term used in this industry to describe test takers who deliberately underperform on a baseline concussion test. As stated by ImPact, “many athletes are aware that their ability to return to activity is determined by their baseline results.”

CTE

People who have to go through all there is to go through about concussions are just downright unlucky. Some athletes will go their entire lives without a concussion, whereas some will experience 4. Two athletes could take the same hit to the head, but one could become concussed because of how they hit the ground. People who have to undergo multiple concussions are even more unlucky. Not only because of the processes previously mentioned, but because of what could possibly come as a result of these injuries. I am referring to CTE or Chronic Traumatic encephalopathy. According to NHS UK, this is a progressive brain condition fueled by excessive blows to the head. The symptoms of CTE are widely described as being similar to Alzheimer’s disease. It begins years after the repeated head trauma has settled into the brain. CTE has been the cause of abnormal decisions made by its victims. Junior Seau, an NFL legend, committed suicide because he couldn’t live with his head trauma anymore. After testing his brain, doctors found a severe case of CTE. According to The New York Times, Vincent Jackson and Demaryius Thomas, also NFL legends, recently passed away very young and were found to have CTE. Currently, NFL Legend Antonio Brown has been acting extremely abnormally. Getting arrested for indecent exposure, walking out of an NFL game mid-game, and his slurred speech are just a few examples of his behavior. Many NFL fans believe he is suffering from CTE, as he has suffered a multitude of concussions. Currently, zero tests for CTE exist. This is for the unfortunate reason that this condition can only be tested for after the victim has passed away. All we can do in the meantime is work to prevent concussions until we can prevent worse. The best we can do to avoid these injuries, and what they cause, is to avoid contact sports and to not put ourselves in harm’s way of a head injury in general. Wear your seatbelt, wear a mouthguard on the football field,  and do your best to prevent yourself from falling.

Sources:

“Concussion in Athletes.” Concussion in Athletes | Michigan Medicine, https://www.uofmhealth.org/conditions-treatments/brain-neurological-conditions/concussion-athletes-neurosport. 

“Concussion Protocol 101 Guide.” Concussion Care Management - ImPACT Applications Inc., 29 July 2022, https://impacttest.com/concussion-protocol-101-guide/. 

“Concussion Signs and Symptoms.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 12 Feb. 2019, 

https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/basics/concussion_symptoms.html

Emanuel, Daniella. “CTE Found in 99% of Studied Brains from Deceased NFL Players.” CNN, Cable News Network, 26 July 2017, https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/25/health/cte-nfl-players-brains-study. 

NHS Choices, NHS, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy/.