Concussions occur when the brain is hit by a bump, fall, car accident, or otherwise the head may shake. This can cause bruising or affect the brain in a number of ways. Sometimes it is not easy to tell if you have a concussion, although there can often be blurred vision, headache, confusion, or even fainting. My daughter suffered concussions as a figure skater; We can only hope that there will be no problems in the future (the coaches were very conscientious about keeping the skaters off the ice until they recovered, even if it was for days).
NFL players are prone to concussions, over and over again. Even with a helmet, the brain is pushed around the head, striking the skull. Repetitive concussions become more dangerous – they can affect memory, speech, or even cause a constant headache. Once there is a concussion, care must be taken to let the brain rest and heal, it should no longer be put back into play. Only recently has awareness of concussion damage become prevalent in professional soccer, and extra precautions are taken after a hit. This was not the case in recent years – a player would return to the game before proper healing was required. Therefore, more damage would have been done to the brain. NFL players have some of the highest rates of concussion injuries; the physical aspects of the game are quite dangerous.
I have a friend who was a professional football linebacker. Now he suffers from the concussions he has had while playing soccer. He only remembers 4 or 5 concussions in all his years in the NFL, although there are likely more that were not correctly marked as concussions. It’s not easy to go through days with headaches or trouble learning or retaining information. He has even more problems, due to repeated concussions. He says his head hurts a lot every day.
The brains of deceased footballers are beginning to be examined; This will bring up more information on what is happening with the repeated hits. Hopefully, more protections and rules will be put in place to prevent further brain injuries, or at least lessen the effects. It is difficult to imagine anything that can be done to prevent the brain from being pushed into the brain during a hit, fall, or other action in a game or practice.
For football players, there is the option of getting an advance on a pending or settled lawsuit related to concussions. If money is needed sooner than a lawsuit will award, then an advance against the lawsuit may be the answer.