According to the CDC, between 2001 and 2009, an estimated 173,285 people under age 19 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for concussions related to sports and recreational activities, especially in Langley sports and athletic programs.
Concussions often have short term effects that may occur soon after the initial injury. Many of these short term effects involve pain, while others have an effect on people’s mental ability. “After a concussion your vision goes blurry and you feel disoriented. But you also get frequent headaches and have no concentration,” says freshman Caroline Britt.
CDC reports show that the amount of reported concussions has doubled in the last 10 years. The American Academy of Pediatrics has reported that emergency room visits for concussions in kids ages 8 to 13 years old has doubled, and concussions have risen 200 percent among teens ages 14 to 19 in the last decade. The first hit can prove problematic, but the second or third head impact can cause permanent long- term brain damage. “The funny thing is, you sometimes don’t realize you have a concussion,” Max Trautwein explains. “It feels strange to get a concussion but you lose your short term memory, can’t focus, and have no cognitive memory.”
In addition to short term effects, concussions often have many long term effects. The most common long term effects are headaches, difficulty concentrating, and irritability. Stephen Bonacci received a brutal concussion as a freshman while playing lacrosse, and experienced many of the long term effects. “I couldn’t use my phone, my short term memory was still weak, I had no contact with anyone unless they talked to my parents, and I was out of contact sports,” said Bonacci. Events like this often make Fairfax County reconsider the safety of contact sports.
Despite the endless mental and physical effects on your body, you also end up suffering in other ways like missing school. Many people miss large amounts of school, sports, or other activities. “I missed the entire 4th quarter of my freshman year,” says Bonacci. “As a sophomore, I missed school for physical therapy.” Concussions are a serious injury but are often not regarded as one.
Thankfully over the past few years awareness of the dangers of concussions have been increased especially at Langley and among the Langley athletic staff. The chart shows brain activity with red being the most activity and purple being the least activity. After brain injury, the brain wants to rest after traumatic brain injury.