Traumatic Brain Injuries: Sports
By Breanna, Cece, and Andrew
Traumatic Brain Injury
A traumatic brain injury is caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain.
- Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a traumatic brain injury.
- Those who survive a TBI can face effects lasting a few days to disabilities which may last the rest of their lives.
- Effects of TBI can include impaired thinking or memory, movement, sensation (e.g., vision or hearing), or emotional functioning (e.g., personality changes, depression).
- These issues not only affect individuals but can have lasting effects on families and communities.
Leading Causes of TBI
In the U.S., an estimated 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year.
Leading causes include falls, traffic accidents, assault, and being struck by or against an object — such as another person, a wall, or a falling object. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that there are:
- 595,095 fall-related TBIs
- 292,202 motor vehicle/traffic related TBIs
- 279,882 struck by/against events
- 169,625 assault-related TBIs
- 199,447 unknown causes
- 155,255 injuries classified as “other “
Football (Andrew)
Wrestling (Andrew)
Hockey (Andrew)
Volleyball (Cece)
- Rate of concussions per 100,000: 6-8.6
- Out of six cases of mild traumatic brain injuries, four of the six cases occurred in practice while two of the six cases occurred in games
- Three of the six cases were caused by collision with the ball
- Two of the six cases were caused by digging
- One of the six cases was caused by collision with a player
- One day is the medium time lost due to a MTBI
- In 3 seasons, there were six cases of different players sustaining a MTBI
Basketball (Cece)
Rate of concussions per 100,000: 18.6-21
Cheerleading (Cece)
Rate of concussions per 100,000: 11.5-14
Gymnastics (Cece)
Rate of concussions per 100,000: 7