Sports have an allure for many people, and there is nothing wrong with that. Quite the contrary: sports are a great way to get exercise, and they keep you healthy and strong. If kids play sports, they are also much less likely to involve themselves with gangs and drugs.
Some kids keep playing a sport, or multiple sports, throughout high school and college. They might even want to go pro. But if they play a violent sport like football, then their concussion chances are high.
If you sustain multiple concussions, medical science says that you're in for a rough go of it later in life. Let's get into what multiple concussions can mean for you.
Your Brain Needs Time to Heal
If you sustain a concussion while playing sports, it means that your brain has suffered trauma. A concussion can happen when:
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Your head and body shake violently
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You slam into an inanimate object
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You have a violent collision with another player
There are many sports where it can happen. Football is an obvious candidate because of the game's inherent violence. You can also sustain a concussion playing basketball, baseball, hockey, rugby, or even something traditionally thought of as "non-contact," like volleyball.
A concussion is a brain injury, and your body can't function without a healthy brain. The problem is that some individuals feel indestructible, and even if they suffer a concussion, their urge is to jump up and get right back in the game.
Personal drive is what motivates athletes, along with the desire to win and to be the best. An athlete who suffers a concussion might not be willing to sit on the sidelines for long, especially if they're getting scouted for a college or pro career. That urge to get back in the game before their brain heals can be detrimental.
What Do Multiple Concussions Do?
There is a long list of possible concussion symptoms. Among them are:
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Dizziness
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Nausea
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Headaches
The individual might vomit shortly after sustaining the concussion. They may have short-term memory loss. They might have balance problems or a ringing in their ears.
One concussion can do these things, but a determined athlete isn't going to let it stop them for long. It is counterintuitive to all they know. Their urge is probably to "shake it off," especially if they feel like they're leaving money on the table if they don't impress those scouts or their coach.
Where things get really dangerous, though, is if an individual gets back on the court, in the ring, or on the field right after a concussion. Maybe they're concealing their symptoms, or they refuse to see a doctor. The urge to power through it is too strong.
Multiple concussions that happen close together can devastate an athlete. Medical science agrees on this, as doctors have compiled more and more evidence in recent years. When they look at athlete's brains with multiple concussions, they can see significant damage.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
If athletes pile up too many concussions, then CTE is likely. CTE is very similar to dementia. It amounts to permanent brain damage.
CTE causes long-term as well as short-term memory loss. The individual also might suffer from depression or lash out at their friends and loved ones. The changes to their brain's structure can alter their personality to the point that they are practically unrecognizable as the individual they once were.
Athletes or former athletes with CTE sometimes commit suicide. They can't stand the person that they are anymore.
They might also get to the point where they can barely function in society. They're unable to have a simple conversation, dress themselves, etc. It's all the symptoms of dementia, brought on by too many blows to the head.
What Can Athletes Do to Combat This?
Since there are some inherently violent sports, it's unrealistic to say that concussions will stop happening. If you get out on the football field, and a 250-pound lineman is bearing down on you, pads and a helmet only do so much good.
It's true that the NFL and other leagues continue experimenting and developing better equipment. Helmets today protect much better than the older models. Many leagues also keep trying to refine the rules so that fewer situations exist during games where concussions occur.
All that is great news, but athletes need to understand the risks involved when they take up a sport. If they do something like football or boxing, hits to the head are going to take place. Every athlete needs to look deep inside themselves and decide if it's worth the risk.
You Might Consider Less Dangerous Sports
Some athletes might consider splitting the difference. If you're athletic, you might decide to limit yourself to sports where concussions happen less frequently.
There are things like distance running or competitive swimming. You can be part of a team, and the comradery is there. You get the physical benefits and the endorphin boost that makes all the difference.
You can continue with these sports all through your academic career, and afterward. You might not ever be in the NFL, but if you're good and motivated enough, you could try out for the Olympics.
The point is that concussion risks are severe enough that if you're playing a sport where the possibility of one is very real, you might want to change course. You may love the sport you're playing, but you have to look at risk versus reward.
CTE is serious business. If you suffer brain damage, that is irreparable. You can incapacitate yourself in your twenties or thirties.
It's sad to see dementia patients in their eighties, but it's heart-wrenching to see athletes so much younger than that who are barely able to function because they chose to play through multiple concussions. Just as you would not be surprised to see someone in their eighties utilizing hearing aids, but might to see a former teenage athlete walking with a cane permanently.
If this is the situation you're in, think hard about whether you should hang up your jersey. Loving the game is one thing, but it's much more vital to love yourself.
