Concussions: A Football Problem?

1. Concussions: A Football Problem? By: Matthew Mutek

2. Uhhhh… • Concussions occur when the brain is jarred or shaken. • violent impact, causing a disturbance in brain functioning. • Caused by blows to the head. • NFL- 25 symptoms denoting concussion, ranging from unconsciousness, dizziness and "fog" to confusion and personality change. • Others can include amnesia, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, headache, and sensitivity to light. • When talking about concussions in football, most think they occur more on quarterbacks, but in reality, most surveys show that all positions are equally vulnerable.

3. Face The Facts • Dr. Elliot Pellman, Jets' physician and chairman of the NFL's subcommittee on mild traumatic brain injury stated that there are about 200 concussions each season. Most of them are mild "dings," causing brief bouts of confusion and/or amnesia but no loss of playing time. • Helmets were designed to prevent major brain injuries, such as skull fractures or bleeding in the brain, but not designed for concussions

4. Research • Nearly 900 concussions were reported by NFL teams between 1996 and 2001 • Average of 150 per season • Constant year by year • Told that when players suffer the injury, they do so in collisions at relative speeds between 17 mph and 25 mph, with the player being hit enduring impacts averaging 98 times the force of gravity.

5. The Effects? Just ask Y.A. Tittle

6. Concussions: May Lead to Retirement • Y.A. Tittle - Qb • Merrill Hoge - Rb • Steve Young - Qb • Troy Aikman - Qb • Al Toon -WR

7. Types of Concussions • A mild or Grade 1 concussion describes a condition of confusion but no amnesia or loss of consciousness • A moderate or Grade 2 concussion involves confusion with amnesia, and no loss of consciousness • A severe or Grade 3 concussion involves loss of consciousness.

8. What.. Depression!? • Delayed symptoms can include sleep disturbance, fatigue, fogginess, and depression • Study showed that 1,742 retired NFL players reported on concussions from pro football • 61 percent of them suffered at least one concussion • 24 percent had three or more • 12 percent had at least five • More concussions were strongly associated with depression later in life.

10. Case Study • Hypothesis: More concussions were due to face to face contact • Charles Withnall, NFL concussion specialist, and his team of Biokinetics examined league-supplied videotape of 182 concussions • 61% of concussions were caused by a player colliding with an opponent's helmet or face mask • 16% resulted from shoulder or arm hits • 16% occurred when the back of a player's head struck the ground • 7% were caused by another part of an opponent's body or were undetermined.

11. Study Found • The team saw almost no face-to-face collisions • The striking player - usually a defender - virtually never suffered a concussion. • Instead, the concussed player was almost always hit from the side, often on the lower half of the face, and usually by the crown of an opponent's helmet

12. Conclusion • Hypothesis was wrong stating that face to face contact was the leading cause of concussions. • Surprised that the study stated that the striking player virtually never suffer from concussions since they’re the ones that do the hitting.

13. Works Cited • Gugliotta, Guy “Heads Up/ With help from NFL, scientists research concussions” Houston Chronicle, 2003 • http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=443454881&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=9874&RQT=309&VName=PQD • Roan, Shari.  ”Do Football Concussions Pile Up?; Players can take a pounding on the field. But no one seems to know the long-term effects when head injuries add up. Now some teams want to find out [Home Edition]” Los Angeles Times, 1997 • http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=16973156&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=9874&RQT=309&VName=PQD