The Dangers of Concussions
"When In doubt Sit Out"
The Facts
- All concussions are extremely serious
- About 175,000 children are treated in emergency rooms nationwide each year for concussions because of sports-related activities, according to the CDC.
- Most concussions happen (especially in football) without the loss of consciousness
- Recognizing the concussion when they first occur can help prevent further injury & even death.
Football and concussions
- In football one of the most common but overlooked injury is a concussion. Football contributes to more than 47% of all concussions in sports.
- Concussion is defined as "temporary unconsciousness caused by a blow to the head. The term is also used loosely of the aftereffects such as confusion or temporary incapacity."
- A concussion occurs when a blow to the head rattles or moves the brain inside the skull against the skull itself causing damage and often times bleeding to the brain.
What are the effects of concussions on the brain?
A concussion often has the following effects on different parts of the brain:
Frontal Lobe: damage can affect emotion, concentration, and behavior RED
Parietal Lobe: damage can cause numbness YELLOW
Temporal Lobe: damage can cause memory loss and seizures GREEN
Cerebellum: damage can cause impairment of coordination and motor skills BLUE
Many times these effects are very severe and can be long lasting.
Signs & Symptoms of a Concussion
- Loss of consciousness
- Headache that will not go away
- Slurred speech
- One pupil larger than the other
- Drowsiness
- Vomiting
How we can prevent such injuries?
Our goal is to spread the word about the dangers of concussions so that these schools will prioritize their budgets towards the purchasing of the best helmets for the whole team so that we can try to minimalize the amount of one of the most dangerous injuries in the game of football today
Work Cited
"Truth about Concussions." Web. 9 Dec. 2015. <http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2015/11/10/the-truth-about-concussions>.
"Concussion: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention." WebMD. WebMD. Web. 8 Dec. 2015. <http://www.webmd.com/brain/tc/traumatic-brain-injury-concussion-overview?page=3>.