Athletes should heed repercussions of football concussions
By Julian Sepesky
Our country, as a whole, has become more knowledgeable over the years in the field of medicine and personal health. The exploration of stem cell research, the desire to avoid second-hand smoke the banning of cigarette smoking in many indoor establishments, and the constant updates of what foods and drinks may be leading causes of diseases, is helping us progress and become a much more conscientious nation.
Many of the advancements in medical technology have carried over to the world of sports. Professional sports medicine allows today’s athletes the ability to recover in a remarkably short time from injuries they’ve sustained. Certain preparations also are taken to prevent injuries. Head injuries, however, have been extremely difficult to both diagnose and treat. Football is a sport that involves extensive physical contact and constant impact to the head.
According to concussion treatment.com, a website that provides statistics and answers to frequently asked questions about concussions, “Football is the sport most common with concussion risks in males, with a 75 percent chance of concussion.”
Concussions in football are a serious matter and the issue has been widely debated at many levels and by many people in recent years. Dr. James P. Kelly, the director of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence for treating veterans with traumatic brain injury and former neurologist for the Chicago Bears, spoke about concussions in football in an interview with Sports Illustrated magazine.
“On the overall spectrum of head trauma, football cases are mild for the most part," Kelly said. "Serious injuries can and do happen, but most resolve themselves within seven to 10 days with no lasting effects. The major concern is Second Impact Syndrome, when a player goes back too early and gets hit again. This can be very dangerous and lead to massive swelling of the brain,” Kelly said.
According to Kelly, “Multiple concussions are the big concern in football, compared to war-related head trauma, which usually involves one battlefield blast and the impact of the head against a wall, the ground or other hard surface.”
One reason that head injuries have become such a hot-button topic is the discovery of a progressive degenerative disease
called "Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy" (CTE). It's been discovered upon autopsy in recently deceased football players. According to Healthline, CTE is a form of encephalopathy, defined as a disease or disorder of the brain, which was previously referred to as Dementia Pugilistica (DP). Unfortunately, this disease can only be diagnosed with absolute certainty postmortem among individuals who have had a history of head injuries. This can really make finding an eventual treatment or finding a cure a frustrating effort.
Individuals who have been diagnosed with repeated concussions and head trauma that are not as severe as a concussion that was suffered during the competition of a contact sport but that are injuries sustained over an extended period of time can receive a CTE diagnosis. Those who suffer from CTE tend to show symptoms of dementia, short-term and long-term memory loss, overly aggressive behavior, depression, and general confusion. All of these symptoms tend to manifest themselves many years after the initial incident of trauma, making the disease extremely hard to pinpoint early.
According to Wikipedia, between 2008 and 2010, the bodies of 12 former NFL players underwent a postmortem evaluation. Every one of the 12 players showed some evidence of CTE. Even more shocking, in 2012, 33 former NFL athletes were diagnosed, after their deaths, with CTE.
The repercussions of this recent discovery is that CTE is an extremely harmful disease that is unfolding right before our
eyes. The sport of football has taken a serious hit in the wake of all of this talk about concussions, CTE, and brain injuries. Many parents are now questioning whether their children should participate in a sport that can cause serious brain damage over time.
According to a recent NBC News/WSJ poll, 40 percent of Americans would rather have their children play a sport other than football because of their concussion concerns.
Parents are intimated by the statistics and reports that are presented on many local and world news channels about how dangerous the sport of football is for their children.
It is important for these parents to get an in-depth look at what causes CTE and how children participating in youth football can take precautions against concussions. This is the level where the youth players are supposed to learn the fundamental techniques of the game. This would include how to tackle properly and not lead with one’s head and helmet. Coaches should ultimately be held responsible for instructing younger competitive football players on the proper way to play the game and avoid injuries.
Although we still have a chance to change the techniques of the youth football players, it is more difficult to protect our professional football players. The National Football League (NFL) is an extremely violent league, proved by the number of injuries that occur on the field each year. For example, over 100 players have suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in their knee over the past three seasons, according to USA Today.
The players have only gotten bigger, stronger, and faster, which makes collisions and impacts comparable to a serious car crash, according to a story by CBS News. The NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell have taken positive strides toward making the game safer and avoiding head injuries. For instance, there have been rules implemented recently that protect the
quarterback from defenders who will attack him from every angle. Another relatively new rule protects defenseless receivers going for a pass from defenders who can get a really hard shot on them since they cannot defend themselves. These rules have been met with scorn from some fans who adore the “old-school, physical” style of football that was played in the 1970s and 1980s.
Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson weighed in on the subject from the perspective of someone who played in the NFL during the 1980s.
“You are supposed to be tough," he said on ESPN's radio show, "Mike and Mike in the Morning."
He continued, "You are supposed to play through pain. You are not supposed to cry. We are taught that early on in the game as kids. Tough sport. Brutal sport. It’s like the gladiator. People want to see the big hits. They wind up on (ESPN's) 'Sports Center.' And as a player, you don’t want to admit you are injured."
There is no right way to play football that doesn’t include the words “exert your physical will.” According to ESPN
sportswriter Bill Simmons, “Every current player grew up hearing instructions like, ‘I want hats on the ball’ (translation: Lead with your head), ‘I want guys swarming the ball’ (translation: If your teammates are tackling someone, come flying in as hard as you can and join them), and ‘Make them think when they’re crossing the middle!’ (translation: Keep hitting the receivers as hard as you can so that they’ll start thinking about you, instead of the catch).”
It is obvious that football is a physical, sometimes even barbaric, sport at its core and it is difficult for the individuals who play to just erase all of those years of playing overly physical football. But something must change to protect these athletes from themselves, and the rules that the NFL is putting into place will certainly benefit the game of football long term.
Football is a game that teaches our youth the value of discipline, teamwork, and determination that is necessary for success in any walk of life. Football is certainly a violent sport, but it does not need to be eliminated just because of concussions. Proper awareness and education about form and technique is what needs to be spread around at every level of the game in order to keep this sport alive well into the future.
The impact of recent medical discoveries regarding the negative effects of the head trauma associated with football is being felt at every level of the sport. Athletic trainers and team doctors need to take the necessary steps to properly educate themselves on the risks associated with repeated head injuries suffered by players.
Read more about Julian Sepesky on his personal blog.
Our country, as a whole, has become more knowledgeable over the years in the field of medicine and personal health. The exploration of stem cell research, the desire to avoid second-hand smoke the banning of cigarette smoking in many indoor establishments, and the constant updates of what foods and drinks may be leading causes of diseases, is helping us progress and become a much more conscientious nation.
Many of the advancements in medical technology have carried over to the world of sports. Professional sports medicine allows today’s athletes the ability to recover in a remarkably short time from injuries they’ve sustained. Certain preparations also are taken to prevent injuries. Head injuries, however, have been extremely difficult to both diagnose and treat. Football is a sport that involves extensive physical contact and constant impact to the head.
According to concussion treatment.com, a website that provides statistics and answers to frequently asked questions about concussions, “Football is the sport most common with concussion risks in males, with a 75 percent chance of concussion.”
Concussions in football are a serious matter and the issue has been widely debated at many levels and by many people in recent years. Dr. James P. Kelly, the director of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence for treating veterans with traumatic brain injury and former neurologist for the Chicago Bears, spoke about concussions in football in an interview with Sports Illustrated magazine.
“On the overall spectrum of head trauma, football cases are mild for the most part," Kelly said. "Serious injuries can and do happen, but most resolve themselves within seven to 10 days with no lasting effects. The major concern is Second Impact Syndrome, when a player goes back too early and gets hit again. This can be very dangerous and lead to massive swelling of the brain,” Kelly said.
According to Kelly, “Multiple concussions are the big concern in football, compared to war-related head trauma, which usually involves one battlefield blast and the impact of the head against a wall, the ground or other hard surface.”
One reason that head injuries have become such a hot-button topic is the discovery of a progressive degenerative disease
called "Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy" (CTE). It's been discovered upon autopsy in recently deceased football players. According to Healthline, CTE is a form of encephalopathy, defined as a disease or disorder of the brain, which was previously referred to as Dementia Pugilistica (DP). Unfortunately, this disease can only be diagnosed with absolute certainty postmortem among individuals who have had a history of head injuries. This can really make finding an eventual treatment or finding a cure a frustrating effort.
Individuals who have been diagnosed with repeated concussions and head trauma that are not as severe as a concussion that was suffered during the competition of a contact sport but that are injuries sustained over an extended period of time can receive a CTE diagnosis. Those who suffer from CTE tend to show symptoms of dementia, short-term and long-term memory loss, overly aggressive behavior, depression, and general confusion. All of these symptoms tend to manifest themselves many years after the initial incident of trauma, making the disease extremely hard to pinpoint early.
According to Wikipedia, between 2008 and 2010, the bodies of 12 former NFL players underwent a postmortem evaluation. Every one of the 12 players showed some evidence of CTE. Even more shocking, in 2012, 33 former NFL athletes were diagnosed, after their deaths, with CTE.
The repercussions of this recent discovery is that CTE is an extremely harmful disease that is unfolding right before our
eyes. The sport of football has taken a serious hit in the wake of all of this talk about concussions, CTE, and brain injuries. Many parents are now questioning whether their children should participate in a sport that can cause serious brain damage over time.
According to a recent NBC News/WSJ poll, 40 percent of Americans would rather have their children play a sport other than football because of their concussion concerns.
Parents are intimated by the statistics and reports that are presented on many local and world news channels about how dangerous the sport of football is for their children.
It is important for these parents to get an in-depth look at what causes CTE and how children participating in youth football can take precautions against concussions. This is the level where the youth players are supposed to learn the fundamental techniques of the game. This would include how to tackle properly and not lead with one’s head and helmet. Coaches should ultimately be held responsible for instructing younger competitive football players on the proper way to play the game and avoid injuries.
Although we still have a chance to change the techniques of the youth football players, it is more difficult to protect our professional football players. The National Football League (NFL) is an extremely violent league, proved by the number of injuries that occur on the field each year. For example, over 100 players have suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in their knee over the past three seasons, according to USA Today.
The players have only gotten bigger, stronger, and faster, which makes collisions and impacts comparable to a serious car crash, according to a story by CBS News. The NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell have taken positive strides toward making the game safer and avoiding head injuries. For instance, there have been rules implemented recently that protect the
quarterback from defenders who will attack him from every angle. Another relatively new rule protects defenseless receivers going for a pass from defenders who can get a really hard shot on them since they cannot defend themselves. These rules have been met with scorn from some fans who adore the “old-school, physical” style of football that was played in the 1970s and 1980s.
Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson weighed in on the subject from the perspective of someone who played in the NFL during the 1980s.
“You are supposed to be tough," he said on ESPN's radio show, "Mike and Mike in the Morning."
He continued, "You are supposed to play through pain. You are not supposed to cry. We are taught that early on in the game as kids. Tough sport. Brutal sport. It’s like the gladiator. People want to see the big hits. They wind up on (ESPN's) 'Sports Center.' And as a player, you don’t want to admit you are injured."
There is no right way to play football that doesn’t include the words “exert your physical will.” According to ESPN
sportswriter Bill Simmons, “Every current player grew up hearing instructions like, ‘I want hats on the ball’ (translation: Lead with your head), ‘I want guys swarming the ball’ (translation: If your teammates are tackling someone, come flying in as hard as you can and join them), and ‘Make them think when they’re crossing the middle!’ (translation: Keep hitting the receivers as hard as you can so that they’ll start thinking about you, instead of the catch).”
It is obvious that football is a physical, sometimes even barbaric, sport at its core and it is difficult for the individuals who play to just erase all of those years of playing overly physical football. But something must change to protect these athletes from themselves, and the rules that the NFL is putting into place will certainly benefit the game of football long term.
Football is a game that teaches our youth the value of discipline, teamwork, and determination that is necessary for success in any walk of life. Football is certainly a violent sport, but it does not need to be eliminated just because of concussions. Proper awareness and education about form and technique is what needs to be spread around at every level of the game in order to keep this sport alive well into the future.
The impact of recent medical discoveries regarding the negative effects of the head trauma associated with football is being felt at every level of the sport. Athletic trainers and team doctors need to take the necessary steps to properly educate themselves on the risks associated with repeated head injuries suffered by players.
Read more about Julian Sepesky on his personal blog.