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Concussions and HeadgearTyler Kohmetscher

Definition

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head or body, a fall, or another injury that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull

Signs and Symptoms Thinking and remembering

Feeling slowed down Not thinking clearly Not being able to remember new information Not being able to concentrate

Physical Fuzzy or blurry vision Headache Sensitivity to light or noise Feeling tired or having no energy Dizziness Balance problems Nausea and vomiting

Signs and Symptoms (cont)

Emotional and mood Sad Easily upset or angered More emotional Nervous or anxious

Sleep Sleeping less than usual Sleeping more than usual Having a hard time falling asleep

Factors affecting Concussions BPS Model

Biological Female Child

Psychological Having to “suck it up” for parents, coaches Pressure to perform

Social Relationships with parents or coaches Live up to social gender roles

Males show no signs of weakness

Diagnosis

ImPACT Test Taken at beginning of year before beginning

athletics Baseline to test if you experienced

concussion later Memory, attention span, and

reaction time

Physician Check for attention span, memory

and reaction time

Headgear

Became popular in the 2003 Women’s World Cup Resembles an enlarged headband Weighs less then 2 ounces Covers forehead, temple,

and occipital bone in the back of the head

Stats for Headgear

In a population studied, 47.8% had experienced symptoms of a concussion

during the current soccer year. 26.9% of athletes who wore headgear had

concussions 52.8% of those who did not wear headgear had

concussions More than one concussion was experienced by

50.0% of the concussed headgear athletes 69.3% of the concussed No-head gear group had

experience more than one concussion

Pros and Cons

Pros Prevents concussions Makes you more confident in playing harder Not scare

Cons Not comfortable Makes you look not very “cool” Can still suffer concussion whether wearing it or not

References

Concussion - WebMD: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention. (n.d.). WebMD - Better information. Better health. Retrieved November 7, 2012, from http://www.webmd.com/brain/tc/traumatic-brain-injury-concussion-overview

   Broglio, S., Yu, Y., Broglio, M., & Sell, T. (n.d.). The Efficacy of Soccer Headgear. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved November 7, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P

References

LONGMAN, J. (n.d.). The New York Times > Sports > Soccer > Soccer Headgear: Does It Do Any Good? The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Retrieved November 7, 2012, from http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/27/sports/soccer/27soccer.html?_r=2&

Sarafino, E. P., & Smith, T. W. (2012). Health psychology: biopsychosocial interactions (7th ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.

References

Concussion. (n.d.). MedicineNet. Retrieved December 12, 2013, from http://www.medicinenet.com/brain_concussion/page4.htm

Delaney, S., & Drummond, R. (2008). The effect of protective headgear on head injuries and concussions in adolescent football (soccer) players. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 42(2), 110-115. Retrieved December 13, 2012, from the Academic Search Premier database.