The True Danger of Concussions

Author's Note: After getting a concussion earlier this year, the science behind the injury interested me. I wanted to know what made the injury so much more dangerous, and why the injury was handled differently.

Every athlete hears about the danger of concussions, and the consequences of not telling somebody if you are suffering symptoms like a headache or blurred vision, but what is there really at stake. What is really going to happen to if they continue to stay active throughout a concussion? Why do they have to sit out, even when the symptoms are gone? Why is a concussion treated differently from any other injury. What is a concussion is the question that will probably make you think before ever playing through a concussion.

The first thing to understand is what a concussion is. In Latin, concussion literally means to shake violently, which is what happens when someone experiences extreme forces to the head; the brain shakes violently. As the brain whips around in the head, it comes in contact with the skull, and the damage from these impacts are often the worst of the injury. As the brain comes in contact with the skull, brain cells are damaged and this is what typically causes the loss of memory and loss of consciousness for seconds or even minutes in some cases. Even though the injury seems dangerous, a concussion is put in the mild traumatic brain injury category because a concussion itself is less severe than many other injuries that occur to the brain from blunt force contact. The common symptoms of a concussion are very similar to that of a typical headache: sensitivity to light and sound, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping, so every sports related headache is treated as a concussion until they know that it is just a headache. Caution is taken especially in sports like football, but why is this? Why do we treat big hits differently in different sports?

Concussions are most associated with boxing and football, as the high majority of sports related concussions occur on the field or in the ring, but there are many other sports where head related injuries occur.  Most statistics show that about 15-20% of high school basketball players suffer from concussions, and a scary 36% of girl soccer players sustain at least one concussion, but sports still only account for less than half of concussions in teens. Concussions happen everywhere, but a concussion that is cared for properly typically is not a major problem. What becomes a problem is when a concussion is not cared for, there is not enough time removed from activity, or a second concussion occurs before the first concussion has fully healed. A second concussion before the brain is healed leads to what is called Second Impact Syndrome, and in most cases, death. The true danger of concussions isn’t in a first blow to the head, it is in the incorrect care of the injury, and the second impact could happen even in everyday life.

Second impact syndrome has taken 20 lives in the past 10 years, and has altered the life of others. The rare condition occurs only in kids and young adults under the age of 22 whose brain is still developing. Swelling of the brain is the most severe of the symptoms to come from second impact syndrome. To relieve pressure from the brain, skull removal is normal to survive the horrible condition, and traumatic brain damage is almost a given for survivors.  Why is the question though? Why does a second impact do so much more damage than the first? The answer lies in the in the anatomy of a concussion and the body.

When a concussion occurs, potassium is released out of the neurons as calcium seeps into the neurons, causing a chemical imbalance. Potassium is in the body to help control muscle contractions, and lack of potassium has been proven to cause an irregular heart beat. When the brain is allowed to fully recover after a concussion, potassium and calcium slowly balance out. When a second impact occurs to the head before the brain is fully healed, the lack of potassium allows the brain to swell well beyond safe levels. As the swelling brain comes in contact with the skull, pressure builds, and there is a chance of dying from lack of oxygen to the brain or by losing important brain cells. The danger first of a  concussion is minimal, but a second concussion is as dangerous as anything.

This is why you have to sit out of when you get a concussion. This is why you can’t treat a concussion like any other injury. This is why you have to be sure with a concussion. For those people who thought that all the worry over a concussion and the constant papers and speeches were all a little much, they are probably right. The nonstop seminars and constant talk in professional sports are probably a little extreme, but the understanding of a concussion can save someone’s life. This is why every athlete is bombarded with the danger of concussions, because there is always somebody out there who can learn something more about concussions, and you never know which piece of information will help someone make the right decision. With the understanding of a concussion comes a realization that should ease everybody’s minds.  A wrong decision is the true danger of a concussion, not the injury itself.

Eurasia

Russia

Russia is a country divided. A country where people views  and beliefs are based on where they live. People are not merged under even the most basic morals. Although it not ideal, many large countries are divided in beliefs, but there is no definite line between these different people. The difference for Russia is that there is a physical line that divides one country, into two continents. The question is, does Russia fall to the West, or to the East of the line?

Background Knowledge

Look at any map that gives any border between Europe and Asia. You should notice that Russia is 70-80 percent in Asia, an overwhelming amount. The even more interesting number is that 78% of Russians, live in that 30% of European Russia. European Russia holds 10.5 people per square mile which is by no means a large number, New Jersey holds over 1,100 people per square mile, but Asian Russia houses less than one person per square mile, which is why its population is so minuscule. This is the basis of the debate, because Russia geographically is mainly in Asia, but the majority of people believe it should be considered a European country.

Religion

The most common religion in Russia is Orthodox, as 21% of Russians believe in some sort of Orthodox Church. Orthodox is  a religion most commonly seen in Europe, whereas the percentage of people believing in Muslim is only 10%. This difference in religion is because of the location of the population in Russia, because Orthodox Churches are much more common than Muslim Churches in Eastern Europe. The reason the percentages of people that believe in any religion is so low is because many Russians claim no religion, because for so long worship was discouraged by the Communist government. For the first time since 1917 religion was officially supported by the government  in 1990 when Mikhail Gorbachev  became president of the Soviet Communist Party. Religion not being supported was due to the October Revolution, an event that almost brought Russian culture .

 

October Revolution

Religion had not been supported since the October Revolution, or the start of the Russian Civil War, when communists gained control of the Russian Republic again. In short, the Russian Revolution was the peasant over throw of the government. The displeasure of the civilians in Russia was caused by the country’s involvement in World War I, when Russia was no match for the more advanced Germany. Casualties of Russians were higher than other country, and economy in Russia had plummeted because of the money being put into the war. The October Revolution is an important piece of Russian history because it marks the Communist overtake of government. The October Revolution almost was the tipping point in Russian culture where it became almost completely Asian.

Russia has become more of a compromise of Communist and Democratic government since October 1917. Russia’s government consists of a president, who is head of state, a prime minister who is in charge of the government, and a Duma which consists of 450 people. The Duma could most accurately be related to the United States Congress, where multiple parties are represented. Russia has began to switch to a more democratic government because they need more money for their economy and democratic countries have much more efficient governments. Communists countries rank very low in what is called economy per capita; amount of money the average person makes.  China is the second biggest economy in the world, but is around 90^th in size of economy per capita. What does all of this mean for Russia? It means Russia is developing into a European country, a mirror image in relation to government, religion, and in culture to try and become the world power the Soviet Union once was.

Conclusion

Divided. A country divided is a country that cannot work together to make decisions, a country divided fights for power within itself, creating the ultimate power struggle. Russia realized they had few true allies because they had a country that had both Asian and European values in their culture. This is why it matters. It seems pointless for a country to change its culture  to become part of a certain group, but a small difference is often a big deal. That is something that is true in any aspect of government, and life for that matter, and this is what can resurrect a country.