Lucas Van Cleef

5/23/10
English III
Mr Turakhia

Long Term Brain Injury From Sports Rough Draft

Mike Leach, head coach of the Texas Tech football program,

recently came into the public eye, and was fired, for allowing wide

reciever Adam Jones to continue playing football shortly after a

concussion. Adam Jones's family, and proponents of their cause. claim

that allowing Adam to play was mistreatment on Mike Leach's part.

Many, however, believe that Adam's father Craig James, former

Oakland Raider and current ESPN analyst, pressured Mike Leach to

play his son more. Regardless of who's to blame, Adam Jones is just

one of many athletes of all sports, old and young, to become a part of

the brain damage epidemic.

Brain injury and professional sports have always a direct

connection between them. The most common of the professional

athlete's many nightmares is the concussion. A concussion is a general

term for minor brain damage, but generally refers to the brain being

shaken in the head. This is very easily produced by head trauma, due

to the fact that "The brain has the consistency of Jello." says Dr. David

Burns, General Radiologist for the cleveland clinic. He also says that

we do not fully understand what a concussion truly is because "Nature

isn't simple, but our human minds are." As it stands now, concussions
refer to any minor brain damage that can not be specifically detected

on a CT scan or MRI. A series of concussions can lead to a condition

known as "Dementia Pugilistica", or in more common terms, "Punch

Drunk Syndrome." The internal damage is best described by Dr. Michel

Tagliati, of the Manhattan's Phillips Ambulatory Care Center, who says

"When the brain suffers multiple hemorrhages, after a period of time

the thinking part of the brain, the cerebral cortex, can become

disconnected from the rest of the brain." Dementia Puglistica is similar

to Alzheimer's in that it's primary effect is a dramatic loss of memory.

Some of the more fatal effects of repeated head injuries include

Epidural and Subdural Hematoma. An Epidural Hematoma occurs when

"An artery in the epidural space between the brain and the skull

breaks, causing a build up of pressure in the skull, which restricts blood

from passing through the brain." explains Dr. Burns. A Subdural

Hematoma may not show up until some time after the injury. Unless

drained immediately, the build up of blood in both examples will kill it's

victim. It should be noted also that studies are currently in place to

connect Parkinson's Disease and traumatic brain injury, due to the

nature of the loss of peripheral control.

Many safety precautions are in place as a response to the large

amount of concussions, and more serious brain injuries, in professional

and ameteur sports, as well as the controversy surrounding them. One

of these methods of prevention is mandated suspensions to players

who have recently sustained a head injury. If a boxer is knocked out in

the ring, and does not regain consciousness, he can not return to the

ring for six more months. This policy has been , or is in the process of

being adopted by other sports as well. After the deaths of two high

school football players in North Carolina from concussions, states have

begun to vote on legislation regarding mandated suspensions for high

school athletes. "The Center for Injury Research and Policy at

Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, found last year that

more than 40 percent of high school concussion sufferers return to the

field too quickly." says Rosalin Heldemand of the Washington post. As

of March 2010, The Virginia General Assembly has passed a law

enforcing this rule among high school athletes. A second precaution

that sports employ to prevent long term brain damage is the use of

helmets. Sports such as Hockey, Football, and Baseball require helmets

to prevent concussive damage to the head. The human head is a very

vulnerable spot due to the fact that "The brain floats freely in the skull.

A rapid deceleration of the brains movement can lead to a brain

contusion, which is similar to a bruise you would have on your knee or

elbow, except on your brain." Says Dr. Burns. This kind of deceleration

is caused by any directional concussive force. Helmets, however, have

only recently become common in sports, and even more recently

become mandatory. One last safety measure taken by organized

sports leagues are technical knock outs. In a boxing a match, a "TKO"

means that a referee has deemed that a player has been beaten badly

enough that the fight must stop. By calling a technical knock out, a

refree can prevent a concussion or more serious damage that would

come before the boxer was finally knocked unconscious.

Brain Injury and Concussion awareness have both recently made

their way into the public eye. Former professional wrestler, and

Harvard Graduate, Christopher Nowinski, has become very involved in

spreading the word about concussions and the long term effects of

having one. Speaking from personal experiences in the World

Wrestling Entertainment franchise, Chris says "My concussions began

happening so frequently, and with such severe symptoms, that I was

forced to retire at age 24."