Research Papers / Concusions Among Young Athletes Peer Review [2]

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Concussions Among Young Athletes: Draft and Peer Review
Concussions suffered by young athletes are starting to become a hot topic. People used to
think concussions were not serious and that they were just like any other injury you can suffer
while playing sports. Now though, they are seeing some of the side effects a concussion can have
on athletes after they have suffered a concussions and the effects they can have years down the
road, but most of the findings have been on professional athletes. With these findings, they are
starting to realize the seriousness of concussions and the effects they can have on young athletes
and not just professional athletes. The research they have conducted on young athletes who have
suffered concussions have found most of the short term effects of a concussion and some long
term effects but since there has not been a lot of research conducted on the long term effects they
will need to conduct more research. There are ways we can help slow down these types of
injuries. By providing more information to the public about concussions and the effects they can
have on young athletes would cut down the number of concussions young athletes suffer since
parents, coaches and players would be prepared with the right tools and information.
Before I go over the short and long term effects a concussion can have on a young athlete, I'll
give a brief overview of what a concussion is and how someone might suffer one. A concussion
is caused by mild brain trauma that can alter the regular functions of your brain. This could
include confusion, amnesia, or loss of consciousness. What causes mild brain trauma is a hit or
blow to the head that causes the brain to bounce against the skull. Mild brain trauma can also
be suffered by severe jarring and shaking of the brain. There are three different levels of a
concussion; the first level is a Grade One concussion. If someone suffers a Grade One
concussion they will be confused but still conscious and symptoms should clear up within least
than 15 Minutes. The second level is a Grade Two concussion. If someone suffers a Grade Two
concussion they will be confused and possible have amnesia but still are conscious, Symptoms

usually last longer than 15 minutes. The third and final level of a concussion is Grade Three. If
someone suffers a Grade Three concussion they would become unconscious for a couple seconds
or longer. If you think your young athlete has suffered a concussion do not assess it yourself,
you should seek advice from a medical professional.
Now since you know the basics of what a concussion is and how they are caused I will go
over concussions within youth sports. Over the years people are starting to realize the
seriousness of concussions in youth sport programs. This is because the number of children and
adolescents that participate in youth sport programs are starting to increase. "As of 2006, there
were ~ 30 million children and adolescents under the age of 18 involved in athletics in the
United States."(Metzl 1813). One of the reasons why youth sport programs numbers are
increasing in participation is because of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. This
allows both boys and girls to participate equally in education programs and activities that receive
federal financial assistance, like school athletic programs. Another reason for the increase in
participation is there are so many different sports for children and adolescents to participate in
and the number of youth sport programs and organization are increasing as well.
Since the number of children and adolescents who participate in youth sport programs has
increased, so has the number of children and adolescents who suffer concussions. With
participation numbers in youth sport programs increasing the chance of these young athletes'
suffering a concussions as also went up. "Increasing numbers of young athletes (estimated at
300,000 per year) suffer some grade of concussion." (Metzl 1813). Young athletes are also at
more of a risk to suffer a concussion than an adult. The majority of victims who suffer
concussions have been young athletes between the ages of 13 and 18 years old; this is suggesting
there is a greater vulnerability in young athletes than adults. (Iverson et al. 434). It is good that
more and more children and adolescents are participating in sport related activities, because

sports help them stay active and teach them team work but it should not jeopardize their future
health.
There are several different ways a concussion can affect children and adolescents for a short
period of time after they have sustained a concussion. After a young athlete has suffered a
concussion they might become dizzy, develop a headache, and become sensitive to lights and
sound. Most of the researches they have conducted have been on the short term effects a
concussion can have on a young athlete. The research on sport related concussions have focused
more on the immediate and short term effect of a concussion which can include alteration in
consciousness, confusion, memory and learning difficulties, headache, amnesia, and
irritability.(Moser and Schatz 92).Most of the finding they have found on the short term effects
involve neuropsychological impairments. "The primary findings are that high school athletes
demonstrated neuropsychological impairments in reaction time, processing speed and delayed
memory following a concussion." (Sims, Terryberry-Spoher, and Wilson 514).
Neuropsychological impairments could cause the young athlete to suffer long term effects years
later.
Also children and adolescents take a lot longer to recover from a concussion than an adult
would. "Recent research suggests that younger athletes are more susceptible to concussive
injuries and may require a lengthier recovery period."(Sims, Terryberry-Spoher, and Wilson
511). Even a college athlete, who is a couple years older than an adolescent, takes less time to
recover. In the article prolonged recovery of memory functioning after mild traumatic brain
injury in adolescent athletes. Their research suggested that high school athletes require a longer
recovery time than a college athlete even though the high school athletes' injury was less severe.
(Sims, Terryberry-Spoher, and Wilson 514-515).Coaches and parents need to be educated and
more aware that children and adolescents brains take a while to recover and they just can't "walk

it off" after they have suffered a concussion, they need proper time to heal and recover.
If a young athlete has already suffered a concussion they are at greater risk of second impact
syndrome which could cause them to be more suitable to multiple concussions. Second impact
syndrome is caused by suffering another concussion before the brain has fully recovered from
previous concussion. "Second impact syndrome, a rapid and often fatal condition associated with
a second head injury while the person is still symptomatic from a first, has been described
mainly in adolescent athletes."(Metzl 1813). Children and adolescents are usually more
susceptible to second impact syndrome because they do not allow their brain the proper
recovering time to fully heal. We should be aware of second impact syndrome but we need to
keep in mind that it is a rare phenomenon. (Iverson et al. 434). Therefore the first brain injury
needs to be addressed properly to avoid the potential a second impact syndrome.
There have not been a significant amount of studies conducted on the long term effects a
concussion can have on a young athlete, but they are working on conducting more studies to
compare them to the ones they have conducted with adults. In enduring effects of concussions in
youth athletes they state some research has found that the possible long term effects of adults
who suffer repeated head injuries could develop Alzheimer disease. (Moser and Schatz 92). With
the lack of research done on young athletes they still do not know if children and adolescents
who have suffered multiple concussions will develop Alzheimer's as well. Even though they do
not know the definite long term effects of children and adolescent who have suffered a
concussion they do know they would have to have had suffered multiple concussions to have any
long term effects. "In sports, the risk for long term problems is rarely, if ever, associated with a
single concussion. Rather, long term problems are believed to be associated with multiple
concussions." (Iverson et al. 434).If a young athlete has suffered multiple concussions or suffers

one before it has fully healed the results could be fatal. At least 17 died from second impact
syndrome related injuries between 1992 and 1997 and still more cases are being reported, these
young athletes are between the ages of 13 to 18 years old. (Iverson et al. 434). Coaches, parents,
and players need to understand the greater risks of long term effects that are associated with
multiple concussions.
Young athletes who suffer concussions are affected and heal differently than an adult who has
suffered a concussion. Unlike other sport related injuries like bone and soft tissue which heal
quicker in adolescents than it does in adults, new studies are suggesting that concussions heal a
lot slower in adolescents than adults who have the same grades of concussions. (Metzl 1813).The
main reason why children and adolescents brains heal differently is because their brain is still
maturing unlike an adult brain. This is why it takes a lot longer for children and adolescents
brains to recover after they have sustained a concussion. They have however found something
that will help young athletes heal a little bit quicker safely. Therapeutic interventions might be
more beneficial and effective in children and adolescents than it has with adults. (Giza, Mink,
and Madikians 143). A therapeutic intervention is a treatment for problems of the emotions,
which can include; depression, bipolar and other issues. They use trained professionals to help
people cope with challenges they may face in life.
With the number of children and adolescents who participate in sport related activities
increasing so has the chances of these young athletes suffering a concussion. To help slow down
the rate of children and adolescents who suffer concussions there needs to be more information
provided to the public about concussions and the effects they can have on young athletes. There
is a program called Heads Up and this program has two different sections, one is called Heads up
Concussions in High School Sports and the other is called Heads Up Concussions in Youth
Sports. This program provides coaches, parents, and players with a tool kit about important facts

and the symptoms of a concussion. The tool kit is free and includes fact sheets, symptoms poster,
and a quiz for the coaches, parents, and players. The Heads Up Concussions in High School
Sports program offers free online training for coaches. "A third of coaches (34%) reported that
they learned something new about concussions from the tool kit." (Sarmieto et al. 115).This
program will show coaches, parents, and players the important of recognizing the signs of a
concussion right away. About 50% of the coaches said the tool kit changed the way they view
the seriousness of a concussion. (Sarmieto et al. 115). The Heads Up program will help teach
everyone that is involved in youth athletics about the seriousness of a concussion and what to do
if one does occur.
Every high school and youth sport program should have the Heads Up program or programs
just like it available to coaches, parents, and players. These programs could help cut down the
number of kids who suffer concussion, especially children and adolescents who suffer second
impact syndrome. Everyone should realize the seriousness of a concussion and what to do if a
young athlete has suffered one. Having programs like these show coaches and parents the
importance of pulling young athletes from play and seeking medical advice from a professional
if he/she has sustained a concussion. With these programs they could help coaches, parents, and
players prevent, recognize and respond if a concussion does occur.
In conclusion, concussions are serious issues that should not be taken lightly, especially with
young athletes. Children and adolescents who suffer a concussion need a longer time to recover
than an adult would. If they are not given the proper time to recover they could end up with
second impact syndrome that could affect them years later or possibly become fatal. There are
some programs like the Heads Up program that can help educate the public about the seriousness
of concussions. They provide information on the effects concussions can have, what the
symptoms for a concussion are, and ways to treat and assess one if it has occurred.

There might not be a way to stop every concussion from happening but if every one that is
involved is informed properly it would help cut down the number of kids who suffer
concussions.