Book Post #1

The book I have chosen for my second semester reading has to do with a topic I am very interested in. The book talks about the importance of treating concussions. It is called The Concussion Crisis Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic. The first chapter of the book talked about how often concussions go un diagnosed. If an athlete takes a blow to the head many people look at it as just a bump on the head. The athlete might not show any signs of being concussed and might feel fine only 10minutes after the blow, but they have a very slight form of a concussion. Most athletes including myself compete as soon as they feel “normal”, but what most athletes don’t realize is the danger they are putting themselves through. The book referenced a story of a college football player in the second chapter. Dave Showalter experienced only one diagnosed concussion before playing in college. Once in college Showalter never got diagnosed with a concussion but he does recall getting “bumped around a little bit”. Now as a graduated student he is suffering from dementia. The doctors accredit it to playing football. Although only being diagnosed with one prior concussion Showalter experienced so many “silent concussions” that his brain was affected. Showalter said, “I never got the feeling in college that I needed to see a trainer, because it only felt like a headache” (9. Carroll). The first few chapters of my book have taught me that we need to eliminate blows to the helmet as much as we can in sports, and that athletes need to be more concussions about what they are putting their heads through.