Post- Concussion Syndrome

We always view the life of an NFL player as extraordinary. We see all the attention they receive due to their fame and all the power they command due to the amount of money they make and many people envy this lifestyle. When it all comes down to it though, the average career of an NFL player is 4 years. A good player might make it through 7 years and very few players make it past 10 years. After retirement many of these players are forgotten and if they were not smart with their money many of them have financial issues. The one thing almost every former NFL player has for sure after his career is some type of physical problem. Many of these players have had multiple surgeries and will have pain in some part of their body for the rest of their life.

One of the most severe physical and mental injury that is arising in many former NFL players is post-concussion syndrome. In 2007 it was determined that 63% of the players playing in the NFL had received a concussion. 21% of the players had experienced multiple concussions. A concussion refers to a traumatic brain injury as a result of excessive contact to the head. The affect of one concussion is minor, and it normally takes between one to three weeks to recover completely from one. The problem is many professional athletes are not given three weeks to recover from an injury that does not show many physical affects. These players know their job is on the line and will do anything to get back on the field. There is also pressure from coaches, teammates, and fans to return to the playing field. The problem with this is once you have had one concussion the risk of having another one if you are not completely healthy is drastically increased. After receiving more than one concussion your chances of developing post-concussion syndrome in the future becomes very high. Post-concussion syndrome affects everyone in different ways. Symptoms may include depression, fatigue, anxiety, sleep disorders, loss of movement in limbs, and or many other neurological disorders. Even more serious is that death can occur. Hall of fame Defensive tackle Ted Johnson is the latest to die due directly from post-concussion syndrome. This raises the total to 6 deaths in the last 2 years due to this disorder.

We need to make changes so that we can limit the number of people receiving disorders such as post-concussion syndrome. Coaches need to understand that their player's live are more important than the final score on the scoreboard. They must ask themselves "Was winning this game worth potentially losing someones life?" New regulations must be implemented so that a doctor's consent is needed to play. Most importantly precautions to avoid this disorder must be taken on the lower levels of football. There is no excuse why a high school player should ever be diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome. Coaches on that level need to realize the game is just for fun.