Concussions: The Problem of Trauma

Caroline Goldberg
Science Blog
Mr. Webb
Thursday, December 20th 2012

In the article, The Helmet That Can Save Football (http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-12/helmet-wars-and-new-helmet-could-protect-us-all), the commonality of concussions in contact sports is explained. The article illustrates 2 professional football stories of traumatic brain injuries on the field. Professional football players can receive up to 1,500 hits to the head in one season. Even at a high school level, players that participate in contact sports are at risk for a concussion everyday. Concussions can lead to many problems, even as bad as affecting the brain so much the person commits suicide, like professional football player Andre Waters. The article then goes into the different types and ways an athlete can receive a concussion. A concussion occors when the brain rotates from impact, causing it to hit the inside of the skull and create a concussion. Doctors can diagnose the rotation of the brain but the main problem is how to cure and stop them. Because of the rising numbers on concussions in high school, college, and professional sports, Swedish scientists decided to take it upon themselves to create a helmet to significantly minimize concussions. Creating a helmet that could stop concussions can be very complicated and still no helmet exists that totally stops head trauma. Helmets that closely encase the head in different patterns following the skull can minimize head trauma but nothing, so far, has stopped the rising rate of concussions.

Being a high school athlete and the sister of a high school volleyball player that suffered 4 concussions in one year, i have seen first hand the effects of concussions. Concussions don't just give the recipient headaches, but it effects school work, ability to focus, effects your ability to sleep and think and make it hard to exercise because of the pain. I think more research should go into finding a helmet or a method to stop concussions. Even though I do not play a contact sport and I am at a low risk for concussions, I still think that concussions are a huge problem and should be quickly addressed.