This book provides a broad introduction to the important topic of concussive brain injury that considers historical, medical, research-based, and legal and ethical perspectives. The devastating long-term effects of concussions and the apparent mismanagement of concussion treatment among college and professional athletes have received major media attention in recent years. Do athletes-especially young ones-and their parents understand the physical risks and potential lifelong costs involved with playing their sport? Are injuries handled properly, or are players' careers and teams' successes put ahead of health and safety? Written by a Harvard-educated doctor who conducts clinical and scientific research in the area of sports injuries and concussive brain injuries, this book provides readers with honest and authoritative information about concussions. The book's chapters address the subject from all angles and shed light on current debates related to concussions caused by sports injuries and accidents. Examines the topic of concussions from historical and legal/ethical perspectives as well as medical perspectives and provides insights into current issues and controversies Includes excerpts from primary source documents that provide additional information and bolster students' critical thinking skills Provides a full complement of research tools for students: a timeline, glossary, index, and sources for additional information

A comprehensive summary of sport-related concussion for parents, coaches, and athletes that considers the physics behind the injury, identifies what can be done to reduce the risk of its occurrence, and describes how to respond to a suspected concussion. Concussion injury among athletes continues to be a subject of great concern. Increasing attention and research is focusing on the most vulnerable of athletes-children. What strategies can be taken to best protect young athletes in sports from grammar school football leagues to high school hockey and soccer teams from concussion? How do we treat youngsters who suffer head injuries in sports? What are the ethical considerations in allowing children to play such sports, given the risks to still-developing brains? In this updated and expanded guide, William Meehan, MD, explains simply and clearly how coaches, parents, and others who work with young athletes can recognize concussion; best help children and youths recover from concussion injuries; and take steps to become proactive to prevent concussion. Readers will learn what causes a sport-related concussion; what happens to brain cells during a concussion; and why concussion, which in the past was dismissed as a trivial injury, is taken so much more seriously now. The book explains how to decrease the risk of concussion; addresses the potential for cumulative effects from multiple concussions, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy; and discusses the ethical dimensions of deciding whether an athlete with multiple concussions should continue to participate in high-risk sports. Provides a detailed but easy-to-understand, jargon-free explanation of types of trauma and the forces that result in a concussion as well as what happens to brain cells when the brain suffers a concussion Presents the facts about sport-related concussion and the potential for cumulative effects of sport-related concussions, including a discussion about chronic traumatic encephalopathy Informs athletes, parents, and coaches about ways in which to prepare for a possible concussion, how to respond to a potential concussion, and steps to take to decrease the risk of a concussion injury