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| How a concussion happens |
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| Some concussion statistics |
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| CT Scan comparison of brain activity |
The autopsy of 87 NFL players who sustained multiple head injuries had build-up of the protein tau, a protein associated with Alzheimer's disease. While the build up patterns differ from those in Alzheimer's patients this is still an important development in concussion research. Many of the football players were experiencing symptoms similar to dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s disease. While more research is needed this suggests that the effects of head injuries may last much longer than initially thought. If head injuries can last a lifetime should we allow kids and young adults to play full contact sports? And if we allow them to, how can we increase the safety of these sports to prevent some of these head injuries from happening in the first place?
This topic is really interesting and very important. I have never fully understood what a concussion was or why it occurred, and this really helped explain the seriousness of this type of injury.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is very important to me, as my sister has suffered several concussions. While your blog didn't really relieve me of my worries, it confirmed what I was thinking. That the pain and confusion she experiences now is most likely due to her concussions. On the topic of football, I know that they are always working to try and make safer and safer helmets. Although the safest helmet is to be sitting on the sideline not playing the game, there has been definite improvement in safety regulations. I wonder, is there anything people who have had concussions can do to improve their condition, or is it just something you have to live with?
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has experienced concussions through playing sports I have experienced the negative that concussions can bring to someone's life. I have felt the symptoms first hand but was also put through various tests and an amount of time off sports that was frustrating because it felt like forever. However, I do understand how the research keeps on piling on about the seriousness about concussions and I think it's important younger athletes take it more seriously. I have done research on the topic previous and the new technology of helmets in contact sports has always interested me, and how companies use different tactics to protect the head from head on and rotational hits.
ReplyDeleteI love this blog post because concussions are they way we deal with them is a very popular topic today especially in high school and college sports. I myself have had 5 concussions. I think people don’t take concussions as seriously as they should and they don’t think about the long term effects on. Concussions are no joke and this issue needs to brought to light to educate people on this serious issue. The fact that 3.8 million concussions are sustained each year and this is not a public health issue, that is a problem.
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