It’s just a head ache right? Why should we be so concerned about concussions? Every one of my coaches in high school and college have reminded me that I am a student-athlete and follow it with this overused quote, “The student is first because you’re a student first and then you’re and athlete.” What they mean by this is that unless you are one of the lucky 0.1% of all athletes who make it to the professional level you better be more concerned with academics and how you are going to support yourself after athletics. For the other 99.9% of us athletes it is important we protect our brain because that is what will be bringing home the bacon later in life.
As an athlete I have seen many people, myself included walk the fine line of how to deal with a concussion. In sports it is very common to get a head injury. The question is how should you react to a head injury. Since it is hard to distinguish between whether a player does or doesn’t have a concussion, many athletes will avoid telling their coach they think they have a concussion because they are worried it might be a minor injury that will get misdiagnosed as a concussion. I have seen many people underplay their injury because they know that the word concussion in sports is taboo. Even some parents will push their kids towards avoiding mentioning they have a concussion until they are absolutely positive it isn’t just a headache.
Many people understand that concussions are bad because any injury to the brain is worthy of concern, but they don’t always understand why sports have begun to take them so seriously with their athletes. So what exactly happens with a concussion? A concussion occurs when a blow to the head causes the brain to crash into the side of the skull. The initial collision causes the death of neurons and results in the release of glutamate from these neurons. An excess amount in glutamate is poisonous to surrounding neurons and can lead to the death of these cells also. As your brain tries to deal with this injury it goes into hypermetabolism where it is burning a lot of energy. It is during this hypermetabolism period where it is important to avoid another injury. Your brain has used up a vast majority of its energy supplies so if you were to injure your brain again it would have insufficient energy supplies to deal with the second injury. It is these second injuries that most often lead to decreased mental function and even death. That is why athletic programs will often require an athlete to refrain from competition for one week minimally.
The more concussions one has had, the easier it is to get another one. Individuals who have had multiple brain injuries are at risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy which is a neurodegenerative disease that begins years after the brain injuries occurred. The symptoms of this disease include slurred speech, impaired coordination, attention deficits, and memory loss. It can also result in personality changes that can lead to depression.
The dangerous short term effects, and the undesirable long term effects of concussions is the reason why our nation is “putting their foot down” on athletes competing with concussions. The school districts, NCAA, and professional leagues can only make so many rules and regulations regarding concussions though. It is up to us fellow athletes to make the responsible action and report our injury. Remember that it’s your brain. Even if people are telling you to wait and see if it truly is a concussion, is it worth the risk of permanently damaging the only muscle in your body that doesn’t repair itself? If you pull a muscle, or sprain and ankle, it’s easy to remove yourself from competition. Why wouldn’t you take the same measures when you injure your brain?
Concussions: Who Needs a Brain When You Have a 0.1% Chance of Becoming a Professional Athlete
