Head Trauma - Research Paper Example

Section/# Head Trauma and Professional Football in the NFL As medical science continues to improve and the level to which doctors and sports medicine specialists understand the long-tem effects of sustained head trauma, as is oftentimes experienced in the NFL and other impact sports, the views of the medical community have changed. Whereas before little was known with regards to what the long-term effect of sustained brain injury might be, the results that have been gleaned over the past several years have been able to convincingly link a large number of mental health issues and neurological problems to such an occurrence. What then becomes the main question is to what extent the current NFL will attempt to ameliorate the risks that recent studies have indicated. As such, this brief research paper will consider the following three research areas as a means of drawing inference upon the main research question: 1) to what extent has mental health evaluations of current and former NFL players revealed with regards to the health consequences of frequent and prolonged head injuries, 2) to what extent has this level of long-term head injury been discussed and researched within the medical community, 3) what preventative measures, both in the way that the game is played, coached, and recruited can help to ameliorate this risk and are any of these approaches likely to take hold within the current environment that defines today’s NFL. It can be seen that for the most part the level of analysis that has been performed, regarding the long-term effects of head trauma, has made it fairly evident that there is a clear and identifiable link between head trauma and mental health issues and/or neurological disorders. What has been further noted by way of a brief literature review is that the overall number of studies with regards to this specific topic did not begin in earnest until around the mid to late 1990’s. At this time, the deaths of a few high school athletes from heat exhaustion, aneurisms, and a litany of other issues helped to focus the overall attention of the medical community on such a topic and provide the much needed level of focus upon the issues involved. An obvious shortcoming of the means of mental health studies that have been performed within the NFL are concentric upon the fact of what was known by whom and when. It does not take a large body of research to realize that the game of football is filled with heavy impacts and oftentimes characterized by head trauma (Jarret 1). Still, the shareholders within the decision making branches of the process sought little action with regards to seeking to identify and possibly ameliorate the broad range of known mental health issues that were beginning to show themselves within current and past players. Instead, the issue was subsequently swept under the rub as it was determined that the bad press and negative image that this could present to the game as well as the marked reduction in overall profits were too costly. Yet, as it became increasingly clear from an array of highly publicized issues, the sports and medical communities could no longer ignore the role that head trauma played within the National Football League. As a function of this level of exposure, the medical community began to focus more and more specifically on the level to which mental health issues were a direct result of the injuries and trauma sustained on the field of play. As the level and body of overall knowledge continued to grow and advance, medical practitioners and sports science specialists alike came to be aware of the true nature in which mental health was irrevocably linked to the ways in which players were repeatedly injured on the field and projected these injuries long after their short careers had drawn to a close (Tamney 5). This information leads the analysis to a fundamental juncture of understanding. It appears, from the research that has thus far been conducted, that key shareholders within the institution of professional football were fully aware of the level of harm that such trauma projected for players into their future as a function of their participation and foreknowledge of the results of the medical trials and tests which were being conducted. As such, the question of what can be done and what should be done comes to a level of primal importance. Finally, the third question which the analysis will seek to answer is what extent that changes in protective equipment and fundamental changes in the way that the game is coached and recruited can impact upon the overall incidence of mental and neurological trauma that is exhibited. As has been determined from a cursory overview of the available literature, one of the main determinants with regards to the overall level of head trauma that is associated with the game is the manner in which the coaches and players are encouraged to continually perform beyond the peak level of physical performance that they are able (Roushe 45). This results in a high number of injuries; not only to the head but also elsewhere – resulting in many players ending what could otherwise be a successful career to a very high level of physical trauma. Finally, seeking to add further levels of protection in order to provide the players with better equipment with which to ameliorate the threats of injury, is the final topic which will herein be discussed. Each of these questions deserves a degree of discussion and analysis due to the fact that without a further understanding of these determinants, it is ultimately impossible to reduce the incidence of injury and mental trauma associated with the game. Moreover, by analyzing the statistical rate of incidence, comparing this with the means of mitigation, and seeking to find ways in which the game can continue to be enjoyed without many of these injuries and externalities, this research will hope to provide for a more nuanced and medically informed way in which football can be played; preserving its traditions while at the same time protecting the shareholders within the process. As a result of the head trauma that has been sustained, both within the recent and far distant past of the NFL, it has definitively been determined by any number of a litany of research and studies that these sustained forms of trauma have a direct and definitive linkage to mental health at later points in time. Moreover, the recent news reports dealing with the high number of suicides and violent outbreaks that current and former NFL players have been experiencing has helped to shed a renewed focus upon the level to which head trauma impacts not only upon the longevity of an individual’s career within the NFL but also upon the quality of life that they might hope to experience afterwards. One of the prominent studies which was integrated within this research as a means of drawing inference upon the high rate of suicide and depression that exists within current and past NFL members was that of Sarah Brinkowitz’ piece entitled, “What’s behind the NFL Suicides”. As a function of seeking to expound upon such a research question, Brinkowitz delves into the neuropathology of how repeated brain trauma works to actually shut down key portions of the brain and re-wire others (Brinkowitz 59). As with any neurological impairment, this type of an action means that the brain as an organ integrates in a different way than would have been previously recognized. More than adding a level of inference onto the head trauma and suicide linkages alone, this particular research helps to inform the reader that there is a litany of negative factors associated with prolonged and sustained exposure to hard contact sports such as those required by players in the NFL. Such an understanding was important to inform this particular research due to the fact that it shed a level of understanding as to the reasons why head trauma can ultimately be linked to violent outbursts, where they otherwise did not exist, depression, and suicide. As a means of understanding this from such a wide angle perspective, the reader can infer that the subject of head trauma within the NFL and the means by which it is being understood and integrated with has increased exponentially over the past several years and has helped to inform healthcare professionals and shareholders alike as to the true risks involved with the way in which the sport is currently played. Likewise, with respect to the way that the long-term head injury has been discussed and researched within the medical community, this differs somewhat from the 1st determinant which has already been measured. Due to the fact that self-interested shareholders do not exist to the same extent within the medical community as they do within the upper echelons of sports team management, this has allowed for a much more honest discussion to take place over the years with relation to the prolonged effects of head trauma on athletes such as those in the NFL (Goran Toolanen et al 855). As a means informing this particular research, it has been determined that the field of medical research has long held that prolonged head and neck trauma can serve to prevent the brain’s tissue from performing in what would otherwise be considered standard means. Additionally, the body of medical research on the topic stretches back well over two decades and helps to present to the reader a well informed and differentiated view of the subject matter as the body of knowledge has itself grown and expanded. Lastly, with respect to the ways in which the information which has been presented and analyzed above has had an impact on the way that the shareholders within the NFL’s formal structure have sought to integrate new means of protection to ameliorate risk and injury, this is one aspect of the research that has proven unsatisfactory with regards to the level of proof and or evidence. A thorough review of available resources and literature revealed that there have been few if any substantive changes to the way in which the game is played or with regards to the level of protection that the players are provided. This is particularly disheartening due to the fact that the available literature which has thus far been analyzed all points to the fact that head and trauma has a clear and verifiable link to the negative externalities which have thus far been enumerated upon. As a function of this level of analysis, it is clear that there exists a definitive link between the way in which NFL players sustain on and off-field head trauma and the means by which symptoms such as depression, aggression, and suicidal tendencies and thoughts are represented over time. Likewise, as a function of better understanding these determinants, it is the hope of this author that the read and/or researcher can uses these tools to more effectively integrate this knowledge with the shareholders in the process as a means of seeking to provide a more reasonable and rational exhibition of the game of football that will necessarily be devoid of the need to continue the game in such a fashion as it is currently exhibited. Works Cited Tamny, John. "Memo To The NFL: To Reduce Concussions, Ban Football Helmets." Forbes.Com (2012): 5. Business Source Premier. Web. 16 Feb. 2013. Brinkowitz, Sarah. "What's Behind The NFL Suicides?." Popular Science 282.1 (2013): 59. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Mar. 2013. Goran Toolanen, et al. "Nervous Tissue Damage Markers In Cerebrospinal Fluid After Cervical Spine Injuries And Whiplash Trauma." Journal Of Neurotrauma 20.9 (2003): 853-858. MEDLINE. Web. 6 Mar. 2013. Jarrett, Bell. "In NFL, trauma adds to drama." USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Mar. 2013. Roush, Kelly. Sports Concussion and Neck Trauma Preventing Injury for Future Generations. City: Authorhouse, 2012. Print. Read More