The use of protective headgear in contact sports has been a major issue of discussion amongst the sporting community for many years. Some people believe that headgear should be compulsory for all contact sports because they decrease the rate of catastrophic head injuries and they give the athlete a greater sense of security that there will be less head injuries. Others believe that headgear should not be compulsory, but instead optional, because they are an added cost to already expensive sports and they don’t offer any protection against concussions which can lead to brain damage and other problems in later
It also concludes that headgear hardly reduces concussions in sports like girls lacrosse and field hockey. Though some research hints at a figure around 100g, only the hard-sided men’s helmet brought accelerations for blows to the back significantly below that figure. And in many game situations, given how little other protective equipment female players wear, a hard-sided helmet could easily cause more injuries that it prevents, Crisco says. ‘It could actually make the game more aggressive.’” This is important because it shows that girls would need to wear men’s football type helmets to actually reduce concussions, and that would make the game more aggressive. The article also states, ““every shaft was broken by the end of the study, which would never happen in a game. The goal was just to give US Lacrosse and the manufacturers some baseline information on the types of accelerations they could expect to see in a worst-case scenario.” This is important because it shows that, even in a worst case scenario, the scientist believed helmets would not
I have been studying the effects of protective headgear and their ability to prevent head injuries. Attached is my report, “Effects of Protective Headgear on Subsequent Concussions.”
4%-20% of all injuries in soccer are head injuries. Concussion and head injuries are a big part of soccer, many younger players should have to wear protective headgear while playing. Also, many of these head injuries that players sustained during soccer can affect them for the rest of their life with things such as CTE. Even though many people don’t want to change the game of soccer, at a certain age players should have to wear headgear if they want to head the ball because the brain damage kids can get from heading the ball can affect them for life, and it would decrease the amount of concussions the sport has per year.
Steve Almond’s story “You Knock my Brains out This Sunday and I Knock Your Brains out the Next Time we Meet” speaks to the underlying truth about America’s Sunday pastime and how concussions can be prevented not only by the industry, but by its viewers as well. Football is well known after having been brought to the public’s eye as study after study was released proving that there was a link from football to head injuries. Although in our modern society we have already subconsciously made the connection between football and concussions. The fact that this problem is not decreasing, could be surprising, as the lack of understanding about who has control and the ability to influence change. We hear that football helmets and pads, are getting better, but that does not stop concussions. We do not hear how helmets make players feel and change their play style based on the feeling of invincibility that people feel while wearing a helmet. Pads and helmets do help protect the players but false senses of security due to lack of knowledge on what
Lacrosse is often referred to as the fastest sport on two feet. Deriving from Native American roots, it relies upon athleticism, commitment, and one’s ability to wield a lacrosse stick. For centuries, the sport has grown and evolved as new equipment is regulated, new rules created, and new styles developed. Recently, however, a push for more protective gear has evolved outside the lacrosse community due to rising fears of increased head trauma; it incited a debate revolving around whether or not extra protective headgear would decrease the dangers of women's lacrosse. On the other hand, those within the lacrosse community, mainly players and coaches, have recognized the dangers
There has been extraordinary improvements of helmets from the old leather to the modernized-plastic football helmets along with the face mask and energy- absorbent padding. In addition, the concern over preventing concussions, have led to helmet changes, impact testing methods and reconstruction of injuries during play helping to provide insight on concussions(4). Helmets have been successful in decreasing the risk of traumatic brain injuries, but there is much concern over concussion; therefore, scholars argue the importance of technology development to address concussion(5). As the author(s), David Viano and David Halstead discusses, there is room needed for understanding the types of collisions associated in youths and the impact condition addressing collisions. There are many variables to consider addressing concussion and where they occur.
Recently there has been a focus on concussions in contact sports, primarily football. Collaboration between athletic associations, safety councils, and the national football league has developed policies on how to provide a safe environment for athletes. The first goal is prevention of head injuries in contact sports, and the second goal is to identify and respond quickly to head injuries in order to diagnose in a timely manner.
Prevention and Minimisation: There are various ways in which a concussion can be prevented, including wearing protective
As the popularity of soccer increases, controversy in relation to safety concerns continues to rise as well. Due to the ineffectiveness of protective headgear among soccer players, athletes should focus on alternatives to successfully prevent injuries. Concerned parents, coaches, and athletes should heightening rules and regulations and should properly evaluate the accuracy and effectiveness of the soccer gear (i.e., balls, gloves, etc.) being used in order to reduce chances of serious
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that more than 200,000 children have been treated for soccer related injuries, including concussions being a main injury(Bain 4). Concussions are frequently happening time after time in the game of soccer. Contact with other players, the ground, the ball, and many other serious injuries are causing the shaking of the brain; therefore, leading to lack of knowledge, memory, eyesight and many other issues. Headgear may be the solution to decreasing the amount of concussions that occur in soccer. Concussions cause brain damage which can affect your eyesight and your thought process. This may result
Football can be a very dangerous sport. And although those who play the game believe that they are being protected by the helmets that they wear, the truth is that this may not be the case. In a recent study released by the American Academy of Neurology it has been found that “protection against concussion and complications of brain injury is especially important for young players, including elementary and middle school, high school and college athletes, whose still-developing brains are more susceptible to the lasting effects of trauma”(Science Daily, 2014). The study also found that standard football helmets worn by the majority of players on the field today, only reduce the risk of traumatic brain injury by 20 percent compared to not wearing a helmet at all (Science Daily, 2014).
Safety and equipment have come a long way in football in order to prevent brain injuries. A very important piece of equipment used to prevent brain trauma is the helmet. The helmet has evolved a lot over the years, even more in the past decade. The Helmets main purpose use to be just to stop skull fractures, then they added the facemask to prevent facial injuries. Concussions are more of a recent concern (Hand 1). Overconfidence in the helmets' protective power prompts many NFL athletes to deliver and accept hits that would have killed players of previous generations. Now the helmet is being revolutionized. Helmets aren't only being created to stop skull and face fractures but they are being created to help prevent brain damage such as concussions now. Helmets have gone through testing to see how to design a better preventative helmet. These newer helmets are being designed to reduce the amount of force that is being applied to the head by a hit that is received (Vandantam 2). Virginia Tech football has been monitoring helmet collisions since 2003, courtesy of Dr. Gunnar Brolinson. Dr. Gunnar Brolinson has outfitted the teams helmets with six sensors and a small antenna that records and transmits data to a computer on the sideline. This information collected is crucial because it will help find better ways to design a helmet that will prevent concussions(Goldman 1). Equipment isn't the only important part of football that can help prevent concussions.
The league office has taken various factors into account, as we considered enacting rule changes designed to reduce head injuries. First and foremost, we engaged in dialogue about whether any rule changes would threaten the “sole” of the sport. We came to the conclusion that these rule changes would not damage the sport, and would only legitimize it further. Secondly, we talked officials from other leagues regarding their changes in sports. Our league has experienced similar
Along with typical symptoms, athletes should be aware of ways that the injury can be avoided. In concussion education classes, athletes would be educated on how to wear the proper headgear for their sport, ways to avoid head to head collisions, and what conditions are safe to play in. For many sports, headgear is required and athletes cannot practice or compete without it. Sports involving a possibility for high impact such as football, wrestling, baseball, softball, hockey, horseback riding, skateboarding, skiing, and cycling all require some type of helmet or headgear to be worn while playing (Concussion). While not every sport that requires headgear is a contact sport, head injuries are still likely to occur in all of them. All athletes, even athletes playing non contact sports, should be
Helmets are a major guideline that needs to be improved because a helmet is there to protect the head and prevent concussions but it doesn't seem to be doing a good job. Now there's always that question of “why don't we just make the helmet better and more equipped to prevent concussions?”, well we've had football around for years now and if it hasn't been done yet I don't think it will ever be done. According to the North Eastern Undergraduate Writing Journal, since the 1970s, helmets have been made with a polycarbonate shell, a steel face mask, and padding which is just foam and inflatable air bladders. Even though modern helmets maybe more