Sports Concussions: Causes, Statistics, and Prevention

What Is a Concussion?

The Latin word concutere — the source of the English word concussion — means, literally, "to shake violently," according to Dr. Robert Cantu, Chief Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery and co-director of Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. In his book Concussions and Our Kids: America's Leading Expert on How to Protect Young Athletes and Keep Sports Safe, Cantu reports that nearly four million sports- and recreation-related concussions are sustained each year, and "many times that number" go unrecognized (Cantu, 2012, p. 2).

Concussions in sports happen when an athlete is "slammed and makes sudden and forceful contact" with the ground, a court, a pool deck, a batted or thrown ball, a kicked ball, or "of course with another player," Cantu explains (p. 3). A concussion can occur without any direct contact with the head. The "whiplash effect" occurs when a player's body makes a sudden and violent change in direction and speed, causing the "brain to shift in the cerebrospinal fluid" and slam against the inside of the skull (Cantu, p. 4).

There are two types of acceleration that cause concussions, Cantu explains. The first is linear, like the force when a car crashes into a tree and the driver's head snaps "violently" at the moment of impact. The second type is rotational; for example, when a football player runs from sideline to sideline and a "hard-hitting defensive player makes a crunching tackle from the side" (Cantu, p. 4). The collision causes a violent whip of the ball-carrier's head to one side. In this jolt, the brain contacts the skull, and if the collision is violent enough, injury is likely to result (Cantu, p. 5).

Concussions trigger a "complicated chain of chemical and metabolic reactions," which causes the brain to temporarily lose its ability to "regulate, to transmit signals, and to send messages that control how we think and what we remember," Cantu continues (p. 6). The brain enters an "overactive state" of "hyper-alertness," releasing chemicals that communicate with cells in a "disorderly way" (Cantu, p. 6). Symptoms include headaches, nausea, vomiting, problems with balance and vision, dizziness, and sensitivity to light and noise. Sadness and depression may also occur; sound sleep may be disrupted; and there may be difficulty concentrating and with short-term memory (Cantu, p. 8).

Statistics on Traumatic Brain Injuries in Sports

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that between 2001 and 2005, an estimated 207,830 individuals visited emergency departments in the United States due to concussions and other traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) linked to sports and recreational activities (CDC, 2011). Of those patients, 65% were children between the ages of 5 and 18. Younger people face greater risk for TBIs than adults, and according to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), between 2001 and 2009, an estimated 173,285 individuals under 19 years of age were treated for "nonfatal TBIs" connected to sports activities (CDC). The highest rates of TBIs occurred among male sports participants between the ages of 10 and 19.

Regarding the types of activities in which these injuries occurred, recreational injuries most often involved "bicycling, skating, or playground activities" such as swing sets, in-line skating, and bikes. Of 453,655 emergency department visits by young people, 36,230 involved head trauma (CDC). Overall, the greatest number of TBI-related emergency room visits resulted from bicycling, football, playground activities, basketball, and soccer. Ten percent of those trauma injuries stemmed from horseback riding, golfing, tobogganing and sledding, and all-terrain vehicle riding (CDC).

Conclusion

The NFL and youth sports leagues are struggling with how to reduce the number of concussions, but players continue to receive a dangerous number of hits. The Virginia Tech sensor program is a highly positive and forward-looking initiative that should be adopted by other universities and even high school sports programs. Until both professional and youth organizations treat head injuries with the full seriousness they deserve, athletes at every level will remain at risk.

Works Cited

Breslow, Jason M. "NFL Concussions: The 2012-13 Season in Review." PBS / Frontline. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.pbs.org. 2013.

Cantu, Robert, and Hyman, Mark. Concussions and Our Kids: America's Leading Expert on How to Protect Young Athletes and Keep Sports Safe. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Nonfatal Traumatic Brain Injuries Related to Sports and Recreation Activities Among Persons Aged <19 Years — United States, 2001–2009." Retrieved November 13, 2013, from http://www.cdc.gov. 2013.

Fainaru-Wada, Mark, and Fainaru, Steve. "Head-on Collision." ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2013, from http://espn.go.com. 2013.

O'Connor, Anahad. "Trying to Reduce Head Injuries, Youth Football Limits Practices." The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2013, from http://www.nytimes.com. 2012.

Van Valkenburg, Kevin. "Game-changers off the Playing Field." ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2013, from http://espn.go.com. 2012.