Concussion Management in Football - Essay Example

Johnson, Syd. “Return to Play Guidelines Cannot Solve the Football-Related Concussion Problem”. Journal of School Health 82.4 (2012): 180-185. Web. 5th Aug. 2013.
The article by Johnson is a compilation of the concussions that young players face; in this case, the focus has been shed on football players (180). The author clearly indicates that high school football players are greatly involved with tackle football which predisposes them to sport-related concussions (Johnson 181). Johnson then proposes the use of Return play approaches (RTPs) to account for the concussions by football players by giving an example of 23,000 damages that are football related, which occur annually (183). The author insists that these players are exposed to numerous health risks ranging from brain injuries to trauma amongst others (Johnson 183).

Conclusively, it is arguable that RTPs do not provide a lasting solution to concussions by football players. As Johnson indicates, football players especially the ones in high school can have negative implications on the players not only on their health but also in terms of academic and athletic performance (185). It is recommended that the players and their coaches devise a more reliable approach to dealing with concussions as opposed to solely relying on RTPs.

Marchi, Nicola., Jeffrey Bazarian, Vikram Puvenna, Mattia Janigro, Chaitali Ghosh, Jianhui Zhong, Tong Zhu, Eric Blackman, Desiree Stewart, Jasmina Ellis, Damir Janigro, and Robert Butler. “Consequences of Repeated Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption in Football Players.” PLOS ONE 8.3 (2013): e56805. Web. 5th Aug. 2013.

Marchi et al. acknowledge the fact that brain injuries in football players in the U.S.A cannot be alienated from a discussion of neurological deficits (e56805). It is in this line that the authors attempted a study of the concussion diagnosis and tests touching on neurological shortfalls. As seen in the research conducted, concussions are directly linked with neurological sequelae (Marchi et al. e56805). This is to mean that US football players are at a greater risk of succumbing to trauma and blood flow disruptions. Marchi et al. carries out research on blood-brain barrier disruption (BBBD) and the rush of the astrocytic protein S100B in blood in relation to antibody production in the players (e56805).

From the volunteer of the 67 players, the authors concluded that there is a relationship between repetitive BBBD and dangers of cognitive variations in the players that are characterized by abnormalities in the patients (Marchi et al. e56805).

Rowson, Steven, and Stefan Duma. “Brain Injury Prediction: Assessing the Combined Probability of Concussion Using Linear and Rotational Head Acceleration”. Ann Biomed Eng. 41.5 (2013): 873–882. Web. 5th Aug. 2013.

Duma and Rowson are keen to explain the need to have reliable methods of quantifying the risks of concussions (874). This will create a situation whereby the coaches will be better placed to decide which cases need to be reported and which cases need not be highlighted. From the data collected from the players, whether the concussion was repeated or not, concussions should generally be keenly assessed to prevent reoccurrence (Rowson and Duma 881).

Toporek, Bryan. “Few Injuries Reported in Preliminary Results of Football Survey.” Education Week, May 20, 2013. Web. 5th Aug. 2013.
Recent releases by US football indicate that players go through numerous injuries whilst playing (Toporek 1). From the 10 selected leagues, as seen in the newspaper article, 9.7% of the players suffered injuries that cost them games, while 64% were injured but returned to play (Toporek 1). Others were injured completely to go for surgeries, while others went through simple bruises (Toporek 1). It is in this line that the US football administrator indicates that the well-being of the players should come first before anything else (Toporek 1).

Underwood, Emily. “NFL Kicks Off Brain Injury Research Effort.” Neuroscience 339.6126 (2013): 1367. Web. 5th Aug. 2013.
In his article, Underwood indicates that The National Football League (NFL) had made a proclamation on the need to carry out research on brain injury or rather chronic traumatic encephalopathy in an endeavor to relate the disease with concussions (1367). From the article, it is arguable that brain injuries occur when NFL players are intensely hit whilst playing (Underwood 1367).

However, the author is wary of the fact that not all scans are able to show the extent of damage on the player; thus, a lot of clinical errors are made in the quest to differentiate between intense cases and the less severe ones (Underwood 1367). At times, some players are forced to get back to the playground despite their condition based on the symptoms that they display (Underwood 1367). As Underwood indicates, it is recommended a lot of energy and funds be shed to carry out more research on concussions and how they are the major causative agents of brain damage in football players (1367).

 

 

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