I’ve been watching and reading about the NFL and its interest to help reduce brain injuries. Some of the things I’ve heard about, such as eliminating the 3-point stance for linemen, are just ridiculous to the game of football, but I do understand why it’s an issue to be concerned about. Below is an article on the subject submitted to me by Chelsea Travers of CareMeridian, let’s give it a read.
Sports and TBI II
Athletics are a great way to stay active. Millions of people each day take part in different activities that allow them to compete and stay healthy. However, some contact sports, like football, can cause serious damage and life long injuries like a Traumatic Brain Injury. A TBI can permanently alter someone’s life by changing their personality, creating physical ailments and may even require long-term rehabilitation from special care facilities like CareMeridian. These injuries are too common when participating in sports, but if the right precautions are taken prevention is possible.
According to the Brain Injury Resource Center, an estimated 300,000 sports related brain injuries occur each year. While the majority of these injuries appear minor many involve concussions. A concussion may seem mild initially, but can result in significant damage over a long period of time if untreated. Concussions are head injuries that are caused from blows to the head that cause the brain to shake violently within the skull. This can cause the brain to bruise, bleed, and/or tear. Concussions occur in every sport, but in football this injury is especially common and often times ignored.
It has been reported that the NFL has a concussion rate of 61%, which is one of the highest percentages for professional sports. This is why recently the NFL has established medical summits that bring in medical professionals to study concussions and head injuries. By inviting scientists and doctors to these summits the NFL is allowing awareness to be presented to both management and players. This will hopefully both curb concussions and prevent the long term damage that can result from a brain injury.
The article is very clear and to the point ~ football causes brain injuries at a pretty alarming rate of occurrence. It’s not rocket science. Men + banging heads = brain injuries like concussions.
Where I jump off the bus is the NFL trying to reshape the game of football to reduce head and brain trauma. These guys, football players, all know the risks heading into it. Yet when something happens, some freakish accident that severely injures a player, possibly ending his career and many aspects of his normal life to that point in time, the affected player always tries to act like a victim.
The fact is that football is a physical and dangerous game. That’s something I learned as a young boy because of knee issues that weren’t caused by playing. My knee problems did make me overly aware of the risk of injuring my knee(s) further, and so I chose to not play football. These guys all have the same choice, but it’s up to the players to make the choice, not the NFL. It certainly isn’t up to the fans and other spectators. But that’s just my view on it.
What’s your view on concussions and other brain injuries in football? Sound off in the comments below after throwing in your vote on the poll.
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