Concussions in youth sports has been a topic covered at an increasing rate in the media, becoming a topic of great controversy in light of new research being found.

Concussions can occur in almost all sporting events, such as basketball, football, hockey, and soccer. Concussions are caused by a collision of your skull with another object such as the ground or the body of another athlete, and it causes intense trauma to the brain.  If gone untreated, further complication can occur later.

According to recent scientific studies,  athletes, especially those with repeated concussions, are at risk of having their future cognitive function diminish.  In some cases, repeated concussions have led to death.

In the recent past, concussions, especially in professional sports, often went untreated, and athletes were not given the proper recovery time. This build up of repeated blows to the head, which was the case with Junior Seau, can lead to a condition called CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, which often leads to death.

The ways that concussions are being treated have improved greatly over the years, and they are continuing to improve. One newly implemented practice is baseline testing, which allowed athletes to be tested on cognitive function before they get a concussion.  Therefore, they when they are tested again after they have a concussion, the doctors will know if cognitive function is worse due to the concussion, which then allows the athlete to get the proper treatment.

With new scientific studies, doctors and scientists continue to find an increasing number of athletes dying from this condition caused by traumatic blows to the brain. This alarming issue has sparked debate among parents, coaches, and athletes; they worry how to minimize an athlete’s chances of having concussions, how many concussions is too many, and when should an athlete stop playing.

With many athletes participating in contact sports at Hingham High School, concussions are a growing issue of concern for players in concussions, but due to new methods, and hopefully future innovation, patients can be treated much more effectively for concussions, and concussions can be much more accurately prevented.