By: Steph Wetzel, Caroline Schnabel, Nicole Kazmierczak, Kasey Vangelov
Sports injuries come and go without us getting a chance to realize how serious they are. Whether it be professionals showing off their skills or high school students playing their best, a concussion is not like other injuries.
Osteopathic physician Richard Smayda answered questions on concussions for Scientific America. He talked about how such destruction to the brain may cause loss of consciousness.
He stated, “These forces also cause the brain to move in a swirling fashion and contact the inner prominence of the skull…such movement makes the brain bump into the interior of the skull at the point of impact, as well as on the opposite side of the skull, resulting in contusions (bruises) that damage two sites in the brain, called the coup and contrecoup injuries.”
All injuries are a serious matter; however, concussions are injuries that some people may not take as seriously as they should.
Our school itself consists of many students who have had concussions whether it be through sports or other means.
Junior Natalie Marinides concussions both resulted from lacrosse. She goaltends for the lacrosse team here at East, and both of her concussions happened at the end of the season. Marinides said, “I’ve had two concussions, both lasting around two months. My grades stayed the same, but the headaches were distracting during school. Bright lights bothered me, especially the lights coming from the smartboards.”
Junior Sydney Irene was in a car accident earlier this year that resulted in her concussion. “My concussion is going to last for about a year. I can’t focus, and easy things don’t always make sense. I can’t read for long periods, and it’s really hard to take tests. Also, my doctor told me I wasn’t able to volunteer, so I couldn’t get enough hours in time for my government project,” Irene said.
Many precautions are taken even if it is uncertain that someone has a concussion. The long-term effects of this injury can be worse than the short-term.
“Once you say that you got hit in the head and have headaches, you are automatically taken out of sports. The trainer also tested my balance, memory, and asked me questions about headaches, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and more” Marinides stated.
The treatments you have vary depending on how serious the injury is. “I had to stop playing lacrosse and exercising until it was gone. They also gave me permission for extended time to take tests and to use the elevator, but I didn’t use either because it wasn’t that bad. The neurologist gave me two prescriptions, said to rest, and drink a lot of water,” she said.
Writers for PT in Motion News discussed the likelihood of female receiving a concussion compared to a male. They found that women are more likely to receive concussions during sporting events, except for ice hockey. They stated that this may be because of the differences in anatomical structure of women’s necks.
The new movie Concussion starring Will Smith emphasizes the dangers of concussions and is in theaters now. It focuses mainly on the long-term effects such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is the result of multiple occurring concussions, and leads to the brain losing mass overtime.
Concussions have become a worry to many people, even if they are not the victim of one. Whether it be a loved one or a star athlete, people are concerned for those who are victims. “People should be more cautious about concussions, and there should be more safety precautions,” junior Matt Meade said.
Meade is just one of many students who believe concussions should be taken more seriously, and that all people show know how far-reaching the consequences go.
