Literature Review on Concussions

For many years now, few cases at the connection point of health and sports have created as much interest from the public as sports concussion. This is mostly witnessed among the youth. However, despite the great awareness of sport-related concussions and public campaign to empower and educate the youth, athletes and even the parents, there is still more controversy in this field. Many incidences of death have occurred in many high school youths who participate in different sporting activities, hence raising eyebrows on the issue of concussion.

A concussion is a type of trauma that is affecting the brain and causing injury to the mind of the victim. It is caused by a blow or bhang on an individual head or body, a severe fall or even any other injury that can shake the brain inside an individuals skull (Broglio, 2014).

Prevalence of concussion

Little is known about the patterns of a concussion. The detection of this condition at an earlier stage of its development is essential so that the necessary preventions may be undertaken. The main reason for early detection is to prevent the disease from spreading to other parts of the body of the victim which may cause severe injuries and even lead to permanent deformity (Braglio, 2014). To summarise on the extent of this prevalence, this condition should be given keen attention on its early detection, if not the worst will follow.

Does concussion occur in specific sports (football) more than other games?

It is true that concussion occurs most in some of the sports than other sports. This has created a need to preserve the young players and participants in all kinds of games and more so the athlete. This calls for a need for the preservation of youthful athlete heads for health safety issues and concerns. It is, therefore, the duty of the parents, relate coaches of different sports and even the players themselves to be aware and recognize the dangers of this condition. Moreover, the individuals above should have adequate knowledge of concussion evaluation.

A recent study shows that concussion rate per ports is different, hence a clear indication that some sports have more incidences of concussion as others. Football and athlete participants have reported a more significant number of cases of shock. The second game is hockey that is being undertaken by male participants, then soccer played by young girls. In addition to these sports like lacrosse played by boys, girls lacrosse, and boys soccer have got the same percentage of cases of concussion (Braglio, 2014).

Sports that are experiencing a low number of concussions include girls gymnasium, boys baseball, girls volleyball, softball for both boys and girls. It is quite evident that in as much as we are we are engaging in different sporting activities, which are a strong safety measure; it is worth noting that, our chances of getting traumatic brain disorder is knocking. Some sports are more contributors to concussion than others as we have already looked elucidated.

If you are engaging in different sporting activities, then it is crucial that you be aware of concussion and its a serious issue. Ideally, you cannot choose to participate in sporting activities that have low chances of causing shock than other, just because you want to avoid this condition. This is because no one is aware of the time or place he or she will be subjected to injury or fall. Furthermore, we engage in sporting activities of our passion and those that we can perform best in (Guskiewicz, 2014).

You cannot avoid sports like football and hockey because of their high chances of causing a concussion. One should note that as long as we engage in sporting activities concussion will be an occurring incident from time to time. No one should avoid some types of sporting activities because of this reason. If we engage in safe playing and we put on protective attire, the chances of getting concussions will be reduced or even eliminated at all. This is because also if an individual who is the right way falls, the fall will not be that serious to cause a concussion (Guskiewicz, 2014).

In summary, concussion occurs in football than another type of sports hence youths who engage in sporting activities like football that have a high chance of causing shock should play safely and on the right way. Moreover, they should put on protective clothes will playing games like hockey among other games that necessitate putting on of protective clothing.

Do more concussions occur in males or females?

Does gender matters when it comes to the number of victims experiencing concussion? The response is definitely yes. The research indicates that more female is experiencing a higher percentage of concussion victim than men. Even though female youth who participate in different sporting activities suffer more concussion than their counterpart male youth, they are still being ignored and not seen as suffering shock.

In addition to this, female youth once affected by concussions recover slowly than male individuals. This has created a need for different treatment methods between male and the female youth. Incomparable sporting activities, female rate of concussions are of a higher rate than their male counterparts. It is important to know that the difference between the severity of concussion between the gender does not originate from birth, this because of young children of both male and female experience similar symptoms and rates with the shock. During puberty, which marks a fundamental development in both genders, concussion also starts to be experienced during this period (Robertson, 2017). This period is characterized by both the sexes involving themselves in different activities like sports hence the inception of the concussion.

With the onset of concussion at puberty, female youths and children will; often experience a higher incidence of concussion than their male counterparts. Moreover, the shock will be accompanied by severe symptoms and once affected; the female will recover slowly from this condition. It is worth noting that a headache is the widely experienced symptom of concussion the youth should be aware.

What are the long-term effects of concussion?

Most of the traumatic head injuries should resolve in a period of one to six weeks. However, some young in some youth the condition takes a substantial time to get away. It mainly occurs in individuals experiencing post-concussion syndrome which is accompanied by long-lasting symptoms which include emotional and cognitive disorders such as, dizziness, headache, the individual suffering difficulty in concentration or completing tasks, irritability and finally feeling the sense that you are not yourself (Crory, 2007).

The long-term effects of concussion are not easy to come by. They are very rare to be experienced, but in case individual experiences a shock, the condition can last for a decade without disappearing (Braglio, 2014). It is; important to note that even when the symptoms of this disease have gone, an individual brain will still not be one hundred percent normal. IIt is also a long-term effect of this condition; it may lead to permanent damage to the brain of young individuals which may lead to further disorders of the body. In other words, this situation can cause the mind of an individual to be abnormal (Braglio, 2014).

The short-term consequences of concussion can be reversed while the long-term effects are quite troublesome and may cause severe inconvenience and permanent damages the victim. Studies indicate that a single knock on an individual on the head can cause severe consequences later in the individual's life. With this young awareness individual who has once suffered a blow on the head should visit their health service providers to examine their brain and conduct regular check-ups (Labela, 2011). Constant or repeated damage to the head can cause an increased risk of contracting neurodegenerative conditions, for instance, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and not forgetting chronic traumatic encephalopathy (Labela, 2011).

Another long-term effect of concussion is that it causes stroke and cancer in the brain of the victim. This is caused by damage to the brain when the brain changes position within the skull due to some force that is pushing the brain. Avoiding multiple injuries and fall on your head is vital because in case you don't avoid this, an individual will be having higher chances and increased risk of getting a stroke. Stoke has been widely linked with a concussion because traumatic damage to the brain discomforts the brain and limits the ability of the brain to autoregulate the blood flow (Labela, 2011).

Conceivably, another reason is that traumatic damages to the brain will automatically lead to the formation of microthrombi within the blood vessel located in the brain. Microthrombi is the formation of small blood clots. On the other side, brain cancer has got some good news to the victims who might be experiencing this condition or those who might be exposed to this condition. It is because the most long-term effects of concussion do not lead to cancer, it is quite rare.

How to get rid of concussion

When a real fall injures the head, the shock will occur. This condition requires severe medical attention so that appropriate curable measures can be taken before it causes severe damage to the brain. Some natural cures can help to ease the pain and related headache caused by a concussion as well as curing the damage that has occurred to the brain (Robertson, 2017). Notably, an untreated concussion can cause serious effects and even permanent brain damage. Be always alert to consult your doctor. The following are some of how a concussion can be addressed. First, the victim should get adequate rest. One a person is a victim of a concussion, it is essential for him to take proper rest and it is advisable for him not to make frequent head movements. If he makes frequent head movements, this can lead to further damages to the brain. Getting some benefits will ensure that a person does not lose his consciousness (Crory, 2007).

The second way of addressing this condition is by avoiding extreme temperature. A victim of concussion should not be exposed to extreme temperature, and it is advisable to use ice packs in case the swelling on the head is severe. This will help in reducing inflammation being experienced in the brain. The other way of addressing concussions is by eating food that is rich in Antioxidants. A victim of this condition is advised to consume fresh fruits and even fresh green vegetables to achieve best results and quick recovery. The green vegetables are found to be containing some nutrients such as calcium and folic acid which are essential in facilitating the healing process (Labella, 2011).

Another control is drinking plenty water. Water will help in the restoration of the lost balance and also will make sure that the blood that is circulating in the brain is not thick. The smooth flow of blood will be directly impacted by the quantity of water in the body, and it is essential to maintain a regular blood flow to accelerate the healing process. Other treatment measures include: consuming fish oil, consumption of turmeric among other treatments that can be recommended by your health service provider. Lastly, prevention is always better than to cure. Some of the preventive measures include: using helmets during games such as hockey and crickets. The helmet will help reduce the risk of head injury; however, it does not adequately protect an individual from a concussion. Another preventive measure includes following the sport's rules and playing safely in sports like football.

Conclusion

In conclusion, concussions should be taken with close attention because if not it can lead to severe and permanent brain damage. Moreover, those who hav...