Basketball has always been known as a rather physical sport. Elbows are flying, heart’s pumping, and quick movements are all a part of the game. In a recent study though it has shown that over 70% of the brain injuries that come into an emergency of age 20 or younger are somehow related to the game basketball.
Brain injuries are some of the hardest to diagnose, if there is no traumatic bleeding on the brain it can be a concussion. Concussions are based off of symptoms and do not have any test or scan that you can do to prove that someone has one. The research showed the number of brain injuries doubled for boys and tripled in girls. I feel that this is a huge problem. I know my family was personally affected from a basketball injury when my sister suffered through 4 concussions. Two were due to playing soccer and 2 were then due to basketball. Through this time she lost her memory, was sensitive to all light, and could not look at anything with pixels. When the doctor tested her reflexes they were as slow as someone who is drunk. She was out of sports for a long time trying just to get her brain to heal. Eventually her memory did come back and some of the symptoms went away.
This injury for her was very devastating not only for her but the whole family. Many of the teachers and coaches didn’t understand why she couldn’t play because there is no physical change when you have a concussion. The public needs to realize that brain injuries are not a joke and should be taken just as seriously as a broken ankle. When someone has a brain injury they need to be dealt with and not ignored. Not treating it can lead to death, coma, or permanent memory loss. This is a continuing problem in the United States and the number of people being affected by it is growing each and every day. Be aware if you notice a change in someone and be understanding if someone really does have a concussion.
Bibliography
groups, age, traumatic brain injuries, fractures, and dislocations. "Study: Number of traumatic brain injuries jump among young basketball players – The Chart - CNN.com Blogs." The Chart - CNN.com Blogs . N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2010. <http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/13/study-number-of-traumatic-brain-injuries-jump-among-young-basketball-players/?hpt=Sbin>.
