Page "Perception management" Paragraph 113

In the profession of athletic training there are many controversies, but none greater than the treatment and management of concussions.

For many years people viewed concussions and big tackles in football games as athletes just " getting their bell rung " and coaches implored them to " shake it off and get back in the game.

" However, substantial research has shown that a concussion is a traumatic brain injury that may temporarily interfere with the way the brain works and can affect memory, judgment, reflexes, speech, balance, coordination and sleep patterns.

Such serious injuries deserve appropriate attention to treatment and to prevention.

With a concussion, function may be interrupted but there is no structural damage to the brain, so the physical examination often appears normal.

This May new standards for concussion management that were realized, and stated, if an athlete was involved in a play where a concussion was possible ( a direct blow to the head ), the athlete is supposed to be evaluated by a certified athletic trainer or if a physician is on the sidelines, they should also be evaluated by the physician.

The new standards go on to say that if the athlete has any signs of concussions they are not able to return to play for the rest of the game or practice.

According to Schwarz, in theory this seems like a great plan, but with football season over for a large majority of the high schools, ( football is the number one sport of concussions ) experts are finding that athletes have learned a couple of ways to get around the standards such as denying any concussion symptoms they are having, learning how to answer questions to hide any signs of concussions, or not saying anything about the possible concussion to the athletic trainer or physician working the game.

A study from the National Center for Injury Prevention found that 47 % of high school football players say they suffer a concussion each season, with 37 % of those reporting multiple concussions in a season.

The American College of Sports Medicine estimates that 85 % of sports-related concussions go undiagnosed because athletes fail to report or deny symptoms and because subtle changes in brain function may not be obvious on a single examination.

With these learned strategies, athletes put themselves at risk for the " second concussion ," which can leave permanent brain damage and can even lead to death.

The New York Times states, in theory these new standards for concussions are great for preventing any further brain damage and significantly reducing the risk of missing symptoms that can be onset in the next 24 hours, but with athletes now hiding possible concussions from athletic trainers and physicians, these standards may actually have a negative effect on concussion management.