Concussions have serious repercussions, however we have no standards for the diagnosis and especially the treatment of traumatic brain injuries. There is very little research regarding concussions and the damage done to the brain, however autopsies show that individuals who have suffered a number of concussions demonstrate a decrease in brain mass and function. Why then if concussions are so dangerous do we allow individuals who have suffered a traumatic brain injury to return to activity so soon? Individuals are deemed ‘fit’ to return to activity after they demonstrate a decrease in symptoms such as headaches. Although the symptoms are absent, the brain is still healing. By returning to activity too early, more damage can be done to the brain. How then are we supposed to know when it is safe to return to normal activity? Brain imaging can be useful in determining how “normal” the brain is but it is still not definitive and not to mention extremely expensive. The initial injury along with a lack of concrete evidence for return to activity can lead to a cycle of more injuries and further damage. Second impact syndrome is caused when a partially healed brain suffers a new injury, causing further damage and loss of function. A string of concussions over a lifetime can lead to CTE, a condition characterized by a loss of brain function and mass. The lack of knowledge and research has led to a lack of information and education necessary to stop early return to activity. When referring to returning to activity, I don’t just mean exercise and athletics, but academics as well. With traumatic brain injuries it is often difficult to stand the light, form complex sentences, or even think. Students who suffer a brain injury are often expected to return to school within a few days.
What then are we to do as a society about an individual’s early return to activity? For all students up through high school we could create a regulation stating that all children must wait a set amount of time before returning to activity. But then we come to the problem that each individual heals differently and therefore needs differing amounts of time to ‘sit out’ on normal activity. Do students return to academics before returning to the sport or activity that caused the concussion? Students could fall behind in class, however they could also fall behind while forced to attend with a concussion. Sports are also an integral part of our childhood so returning to play is important to those out with a concussion. If the star player of the team is out with a concussion, how long will the coach bench him/her before allowing the player to join the game? How long will said player WANT to sit out of the game if his/her future rides on a successful season or if he/she simply loves to play the game?
My classmates and I discussed concussions and their repercussions and still never came to a consensus. We as a society must make a change to the way we think about and treat those who have suffered a traumatic brain injury. How we must change however is still a mystery. One thing we can do is to encourage those who have suffered a concussion to wait just a little bit longer to return to activity. The damage caused by concussions will eventually heal, however continued damage can soon become irreversible. I ask you to become informed on the consequences of concussions and to share your new knowledge with those in your community. By becoming education on traumatic brain injury we can hopefully decrease the brain damage our students suffer from at the hand of a concussion.
Concussions: Returning to Activity
