Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Essay

In 2012, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) referred to this concussion crisis as an epidemic. As previous stated, repeated head trauma, such as suffering multiple concussions, is thought to be one of the main predisposing risk factors for developing CTE. Although it is unlikely that one concussion will develop into CTE, research is still be conducted on the amount and severity of a concussion that is required for a player to develop CTE. In published data that looked at the correlation between concussions and CTE, it was found that 84 % of participants with CTE had suffered at least one concussion in his lifetime. Majority of these players suffered more than 15 reported concussions during their lifetime and had over 15 years experience playing football. This evidence is sufficient enough to suggest that concussions are a contributing factor to developing CTE (Stein, Alvarez, & McKee,

In the sports world today, there are many different injuries that athletes experience and one of the most devastating injury is a concussion. Concussions can happen to anyone, in any sport, but we tend to see most concussions in contact sports (Świerzewski 1). While having an informal conversation with my dad about football, he told me it was common for athletes to receive a head injury in a game and continue to play as if nothing was wrong. While watching SportsCenter, I found that some of the greatest retired athletes don’t remember the best moments of their careers due to the lack of treatment. The worst aspect of concussions is that the symptoms can be delayed; in some cases, it’s only a headache so athletes don’t seek medical treatment. Multiple concussions over time can lead to life-threatening complications due to the damage they cause to the brain. Concussions can happen to anybody at anytime, but there is more to concussions than meets the eye.

Over the past couple of years the National Football League as well as other football associations have witnessed a rise in the occurrences of severe head trauma to players resulting in concussions. One of the NFL’s top priorities is the health and safety of their players. These NFL players bring an abundant amount of joy and excitement to their wild, raving, die hard football fans across the nation. However, these mens’ health today and for decades to come is equally if not more important than their careers that often last an average of 4 years playing football. Despite the increase in the number of concussions in football, leagues are doing all they can to prevent concussions by implementing new rules, provide new and improved equipment,

“There are between an estimated 1.6 and 3.8 million sports-related concussions in the United States every year”(“Statistics”) Concussions can lead to death or permanent injury. A concussion is a brain injury that causes long term brain damage. Some football players will hide injuries, so that they can continue to play the game. Rules have been changed to protect the players health, for example if a player is suspected of have a concussion they are not permitted to play without getting checked out. Football concussions have a long lasting effect on physical and mental health. Concussions also affect how the game is played and regulated.

Concussions in high school sports doubled from 2005 to 2012. High School’s put in a new rule called “Return to Play” this rule was put into place so players waited the right amount of time to come back after receiving a serious head injury. Coming back to quick with a concussion can get you hurt even more or possibly cause permanent brain damage. Studies show that a concussion from a high school athlete takes longer to recover from than for older athletes. Also, studies show that even teenagers are at risk for head trauma not just adults and older athletes. Between 2005 and 2012, four thousand twenty-four concussions were diagnosed in nine sports. This is a very high number for just high school sports alone. Concussions have went up in 5 sports mainly those sports are football, wrestling, baseball, basketball and softball. Therefore, concussions have not only effected football. Many people fail to realize how many athletes are truly affected by a

According to the Concussion Foundation a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head. The impact causes the brain to move back and forth inside a person’s skull, which stretches and damages brain cells. As a result, the brain becomes susceptible to more injuries until it fully recovers. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 3.8 million concussions occur in the United States (U.S.) annually through sports (“What is a Concussion”). Between 2000 and 2004, concussions were the fifth most frequent injury in the National Football League (NFL) (Viano, 2007). However, only five-10% are recognized and eventually diagnosed (“What is a Concussion”). The highest level of football in the U.S. consists of professionals that play for one of the 32 teams that make up the NFL (Yengo-Kahn, 2015). Although football is a sport that has been built on “toughness” it’s become apparent in the last two decades that many of the retired players had debilitating long term health issues, many of which have been related to repeated concussions (Relch, 2013). There have been many lawsuits filed by retired players and their families against the NFL claiming, “head injuries” have impacted their long-term health (Relch, 2013). It has been concluded that most “head injuries” experienced are in fact concussions. Science has linked concussions to long-term cognitive impairment and other health problems. The NFL must do more to protect its players from problems stemming from concussions. One factor, that has not been significantly studied is if a player’s position increases the likelihood of a concussion(s) (Relch, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to take fully reported data and analyze concussion incidence rates for several positions whom experience the highest rates of concussions. This will be done by taking player’s positions and analyzing the occurrence of concussions along with the factors that influence them. A concussion changes the way a person’s brain normally works. A player can experience several long-term consequences from just one concussion. So, multiple concussions are even more worrisome to one’s physical and mental health. For the present

Science says concussions are inevitable; 96 percent of all NFL players and 79 percent of all football players test positive for brain disease (Source: Frontline League of Denial 9/18/15 Concussion Watch Article). Prior to 2002, the NFL’s approach to preventing, treating, and managing concussions and CTE was very different than it is today. My essay will explore what some of those differences were and whether or not changes in the NFL are improving the outcomes and quality of life for current and former NFL players.

The sport of hockey is an intense test of power and will, and as a result of the injuries in sport are common realities that players and coaches are faced with. Among these injuries are concussions, arguably the worst injury of all. A significant blow to the head that causes the brain to shake in the skull and sometime even swell causes a concussion. These serious and sometimes life threatening injuries have always been a part of hockey, and up until a few years ago, little was being done to combat the cause. Although great strides have been made to help athletes recover from a concussion, the question arises, why are hockey players so susceptible to these terrible head injuries in the first place?

Many private companies and researchers have taken the issue of concussions head on. Research has drastically increased throughout the 21st century. In the words of Mark Lovell PhD. founding director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program, “90% of what we know about concussions we’ve learned in the past five years.” These private researchers have taken different approaches to solving the issue but they are all working to achieve one goal: the reduction of concussions and the prevention of their long-term effects.

“CDC reports show that the amount of reported concussions has doubled in the last 10 years. The American Academy of Pediatrics has reported that emergency room visits for concussions in kids ages 8 to 13 years old has doubled, and concussions have risen 200 percent among teens ages 14 to 19 in the last decade” (Head Case, 2013). It is reported that between 5-10% of athletes will suffer concussion during any given sports season. Football is the most common sport with concussion risk for males with a 75% chance. It has also been found that 78% of concussions happen during games as opposed to during practices (Science Daily, 2014).

Although high impact concussions cause the most damage to the brain’s structure, subconcussive impacts, lower impact jolts, over time can be just as destructive. The most alarming and well known effect of brain trauma is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). As neurons are damaged, tau proteins that support microtubules within the axons are denatured and dislodged. These proteins interact with each other and become tangled and clumped together. As clumps of tau protein build up inside neurons, communication is disrupted and they no longer function. The initial clumps of tau protein act as a catalyst over time, and cause ever more clumps to form, spreading throughout the brain and killing the affected cells. If an individual has

Today in the National Hockey League, concussions have become a serious reoccurring problem. Some of the league’s best athletes have had to end their professional careers prematurely, because of concussions. Gary Bettman, the NHL’s President, general managers of each team, and the National Hockey League’s Players Association, have been trying to come up with a solution to reduce the numbers of concussions each year. The NHL’s regular season ended the second weekend of April. Soon after the NHL announced that this year the league recorded the most concussions ever. The NHL is failing to reduce the numbers of concussions each year. So we ask this question, is the NHL doing a good enough job of protecting its players

It is amazing to me how people’s brains are so small compared to the whole body, yet it is an exceedingly complex organ that deals with so many mental and physical functions that help regulate our body. The brain is one of our main sources of operation, and so when a person’s brain is harmed or damaged in any way, there can be major consequences for that individual. One detrimental brain injury that has recently been heavily researched and talked is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is a progressive degenerative disease in the brain (Comer, 2014). More light has been showed on CTE in order to raise more awareness and seek solutions in helping prevent and fix the disease. In the following paragraphs, I will explain more in detail about CTE, specifically the causes, symptoms and outcomes, and the importance of being aware of CTE.

1. Baugh, C. M., Stamm, J. M., Riley, D. O., Gavett, B. E., Shenton, M. E., Lin, A., …

Football is the leading cause of concussions in modern sports and is responsible for more than half of the 3.8 million kids who suffer from concussions in America alone. In a recent study, the gravitational force experienced by the brain of a football player can be up to 289 times that of gravity (Kluger). This number demonstrates just how violent the game of football is when in comparison to the average gravitational force experienced by fighter jet pilots, which is around nine times that of gravity. There is no doubt that hits like those delivered in all levels of football can cause concussions, and that concussions are quite common in the sport of American football. However, questions linger such as what kind of long term affects do