Running head: HAVE A WORD WITH YOURSELF

If you think only pro athletes get concussions, have a word with yourself.
Kace McKenna Winters
The Pennsylvania State University

Kace McKenna Winters, College of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State
University. Kace McKenna Winters is now a Biobheavioral Health major, The Pennsylvania
State University Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Kace McKenna
Winters, College of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University,
University Park, Pa. 16801. Contact: kww5279@psu.edu

HAVE A WORD WITH YOURSELF

If you think only pro athletes get concussions, have a word with yourself.
This message comes from The Community Against Preventable Injuries, a nation-wide
multi-partner organization that was established in British Columbia in order to reduce not only
the amount of preventable injuries, but also the behaviors that are associated with said injuries
(Preventable.ca, 2016). This organization is supported by Injury Prevention Centre, Parachute,
Blue Cross, Canadian Red Cross, JIBC, Alberta Government, and BC Injury.
This topic is stating that no matter your athletic skill level, an individual can and will
more than likely receive a concussion at some point in their life; whether or not it is sports
related. A concussion is defined as a traumatic brain injury sustained by an abnormal blow or
impact of the brain into the skull and the surrounding tissues. Individuals may or not undergo
numerous side effects, such as vomiting, pupil dilation, loss of consciousness, or neck stiffness.
It is for this reason that many youth concussions go undiagnosed, leading to a very dangerous
situation, or even permanent brain damage.
To support this claim, from a February 2016 issue of Inj Epidemiol, The epidemiology
of boys' youth lacrosse injuries in the 2015 season, by Kerr ZY et al. shows that the prevalence
of youth concussions in boys lacrosse is higher than ever reported across all ages. These authors
identified the prevalence of injury, when they happened, how severe they were, and how long the
individual was sidelined. These authors concluded that their evidence was significant given the
sample size (Kerr, Caswell, Lincoln, Djoko & Dompier, 2016). In a March issue of J Pediatr,
Vestibular Deficits following Youth Concussion, by Corwin DJ et al., recognizes that
vestibular deficits in children with a concussion history is very prevalent. They looked at length
of symptoms and severity of vestibular signs. The results for this meta-analysis were conclusive
for the hypothesis, as well as indicating that individuals with multiple concussions are at a higher

HAVE A WORD WITH YOURSELF

risk (Corwin et al., 2015). In addition, in, Is Heading in Youth Soccer Dangerous Play? from a
February issue of Phys Sportsmed, by O'Kane JW, the researchers reviewed data to recognize the
effect of heading in soccer and concussion prevalence. This study was a meta-analysis and
suggests that children are actually more likely than adults to receive a concussion, although
soccer poses a low risk for concussions (OKane, 2016).
Further, from a November issue of Neurosurg Focus, A prospective study of concussion
education in 2 junior ice hockey teams: implications for sports concussion education, by Echlin
PS et al., notes that proper education can lead youth into recognizing concussions. This study
found that the youth can be educated for recognition and prevention by splitting a junior ice
hockey team into three treatment groups (Echlin et al., 2010). Each of these articles help identify
the prevalence of youth concussions, but also note that these concussions are preventable, which
is the goal of the public health message.
Dialogue 1
Me: Hello, Jane. My name is Kace, and I will be your nurse practitioner today. What brings you
in to see us?
Jane: Hi. Well, I was playing hockey yesterday, and I just have a headache now, and my parents
are overreacting. Its no big deal. Please just tell them nothing is wrong. They saw a billboard
outside the rink and now they think Im impaired or something. Only professional athletes get
concussions.
Me: Heres the thing, no matter what age an individual is, they can receive a concussion. If you
think only pro athletes get concussions, have a word with yourself. In fact, more youth get
concussions than professional athletes, and since the brain is still growing until the mid-twenties,
it is very important to diagnose them.

HAVE A WORD WITH YOURSELF

Me: Well, it looks like you do in fact have a mild concussion, Jane. Your pupils are dilated, your
balance seems impaired, and your responses to the concussion exam were a little bit slow.
Dialogue 2
Me: Jane, my sweet daughter, you need to look at this message. If you think only pro athletes
get concussions, have a word with yourself. That spill you took yesterday was pretty nasty.
Jane: Shut up, dad! Just because you read a billboard doesnt mean you know everything. Gosh!
Kids dont get concussions.
Me: Sweetheart, I may not be a doctor, but you are showing the signs that these professionals say
that parents should be on the lookout for. Your speech is sluggish, you say youre fatigued, your
eyes are dilated.
Jane: Fine, maybe youre right, I dont feel so great, and I did throw up twice yesterday.
Dialogue 3
Me: Jane, my friend, you took a pretty nasty spill out there. Are you sure youre alright?
Jane: Yeah, whatever. I was just dizzy for a little.
Me: Trust me Jane, you dont want to mess with a concussion. Undiagnosed concussions are
very common, so common that even the boards are painted with something regarding them. If
you think only pro athletes get concussions, have a word with yourself.
Word Count: 824/977

HAVE A WORD WITH YOURSELF

References
Corwin, D., Wiebe, D., Zonfrillo, M., Grady, M., Robinson, R., Goodman, A., & Master, C.
(2015). Vestibular Deficits following Youth Concussion. The Journal Of Pediatrics,
166(5), 1221-1225. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2015.01.039
Echlin, P., Johnson, A., Riverin, S., Tator, C., Cantu, R., & Cusimano, M. et al. (2010). A
prospective study of concussion education in 2 junior ice hockey teams: implications for
sports concussion education. Neurosurgical FOCUS, 29(5), E6.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3171/2010.9.focus10187
Kerr, Z., Caswell, S., Lincoln, A., Djoko, A., & Dompier, T. (2016). The epidemiology of boys
youth lacrosse injuries in the 2015 season. Inj. Epidemiol., 3(1).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40621-016-0068-5
OKane, J. (2016). Is Heading in Youth Soccer Dangerous Play?. The Physician And
Sportsmedicine, 1-5. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00913847.2016.1149423
Preventable.ca,. (2016). Why a concussion is everyones headache | Preventable. Retrieved 2
March 2016, from http://preventable.ca/why-a-concussion-is-everyones-headache/