What is a Concussion?

As per the Head Case website

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that occurs when a head impact jars or shakes the brain inside the skull. The brain is a soft organ surrounded by spinal fluid that acts like a cushion during normal movement. If the head or body receives a significant hit, the brain may crash into the skull and sustain injury. Delicate neural pathways in the brain can become damaged, causing neurological disturbances.

Sports Concussion Statistics:

• 3,800,000 concussions reported in 2012, double what was reported in 2002
• 33% of all sports concussions happen at practice
• 39% -- the amount by which cumulative concussions are shown to increase catastrophic head injury leading to permanent neurologic disability
• 47% of all reported sports concussions occur during high school football
• 1 in 5 high school athletes will sustain a sports concussion during the season
• 33% of high school athletes who have a sports concussion report two or more in the same year
• 4 to 5 million concussions occur annually, with rising numbers among middle school athletes
• 90% of most diagnosed concussions do not involve a loss of consciousness
• An estimated 5.3 million Americans live with a traumatic brain injury-related disability (CDC)

While the first hit can prove problematic, the second or third head impact can cause permanent long-term brain damage. Cumulative sports concussions are shown to increase the likelihood of catastrophic head injury leading to permanent neurologic disability by 39 percent.

High school football accounts for 47 percent of all reported sports concussions, with 33 percent of concussions occurring during practice. After football, ice hockey and soccer pose the most significant head health risk.

Without medical professionals present to assess the head impact or impact measurement data to review, head health management standards decline. Athletes are left vulnerable and ill-equipped without information readily available about their own health.