What to Watch For

Watch for:

• Confusion or if the child is easily distracted and cannot do normal activities
• Stares blankly
• Delayed answering of questions
• Slurred speech
• Stumbling or clumsiness, uncoordinated or cannot walk a straight line
• Cries very easily or becomes angry easily or exhibits extreme emotions
• Problem with memory, repeats self, repeatedly asks questions, unable to recall words or objects
• Loss of consciousness

Other symptoms of a concussion:

• Confusion
• Loss of memory about accident
• Headache
• Nausea
• Difficulty with memory
• Slowed thinking
• Tiredness
• Change in sleep
• Unbalanced
• Dizziness
• Ringing in ears
• Increased sensitivity to light or sounds
• Mood changes — sad, irritable, non-motivated
• Blurred vision
• Ringing in ears

This information came from http://www.brainline.org/content/2008/08/concussions.html

Symptoms and How Activity Should Be Monitored

"Concussion symptoms are not always reported by the athlete and the effects are difficult to objectively measure. Thus, the determination of when it is safe to return an athlete to play is not always straightforward, according to Dr. Collins. Previous research has shown that allowing enough time for the brain to heal and recover before return-to-play is crucial in preventing more severe damage from possible further brain trauma during contact play. Generally, he said, most athletes who sustain an initial concussion can recover completely as long as they are not returned to contact sports too soon."

"More than 10 percent of high school athletes participating in contact sports in the United States sustain a concussion each season, according to previous studies. A concussion can occur when the brain is violently rocked back and forth inside the skull due to a blow to the head or upper body. A concussion is a trauma-induced alteration of mental status that may or may not result in loss of consciousness. Other symptoms may include disorientation, confusion, dizziness, amnesia and uncoordinated hand-eye movements."

This information came from http://www.neuroskills.com/pr-athletes.shtml

High school athletes should be a top priority of doctors. Many times these athletes will go back to their normal, contact, activities without having fully recovered from their injuries. Not only is this preventing the damage from healing, it can also very easily make it worse. There needs to be strict monitoring of brain activity before any decisions are made about re-entering in sports.

The reason why this is so common is because many young athletes do not understand the fact that they are hurting themselves by going back to playing before they are healed. And that can only hurt the in the long run.

Ian Laperriere takes a puck to the face - Flyers vs Devils Game 5 NHL Pl...

The helmets in hockey are truly there pretty much to satisfy the league managers. Those tiny helmets protect them from very little considering the fact that not only can a puck slip in but so can an opposing stick. A stick to the head at around 100 miles an hour can do some serious damage to the brain of these athletes.

Sports Related Concussions

"Each year, an estimated 135,000 children between the ages of 5 and 18 are treated in emergency rooms for sports and recreation-related brain injuries, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Athletes who have had a concussion are at increased risk for another one, leaving them vulnerable to potentially longlasting or permanent damage."

Football is not the only sport that athletes are getting brain damage from playing. Concussions can occur in hundreds of sports, including wrestling, baseball/softball, hockey, and soccer. And this is just a few. What really needs to be done is that these leagues need to be stricter on rules that could potentially put their athletes in danger. There needs to be stricter penalties on actions by athletes that were intentionally attempting to inflict trauma on the opposing player. Many would argue that there is a fine line between being aggressive and trying to inflict pain. The fact of the matter is that, say a linebacker leads with his helmet and causes serious brain damage to a quarterback, there needs to be more serious penalties by league managers, including fines.

Sean Cattouse's brutal but clean hit on Eric Decker

Hard Football Hits!!!!!!!!!!!!

Helmets on the Ground Don't Protect Our Athletes

Although everyone understands that helmets are an essential accessory to athletes in contact sports, but no one really wants to make them stronger or more sturdy. If you watch football, you are used to seeing a running back smacked by a linebacker in the backfield. Many people find excitment in seeing helmets flying up into the air and rolling across the field. This is a major problem though, and concussions are a common result of such actions. The straps that hold helmets onto the heads of our athletes are not sturdy enough due to the simplicity of the single strap.

"In 2007 the National Federation of High School Sports enacted a rule requiring that chin straps be attached with four snaps. In 2008, the rule was clarified to require four separate attachment points."