Concussions affect wide variety of students

The fall sports season ended months ago, but something still remains throughout Big Spring High School, and it’s concussions. Concussions are a severe injury to the head, and they have been affecting a lot of Big Spring students over the years. Just last year, there were 75 students with concussions, and this year there are about 25 students so far.  Most concussions occur from sports such as football, and baseball. However, they can also be from simple activities such as color guard, band, or horse riding.

Julie Eddy, the high school nurse, said,  “One thing I have to say is be safe. Concussions usually resolve in a month, but it mostly depends on how many you’ve had. If it’s really a bad damage it could be life long or you could be wheelchair bound.” In Pennsylvania the youth sports concussion law states that any person who gains a concussion must be removed from their sport and only placed back in the sport after healing is complete. One of the biggest problems with concussions is that most students lose sleep due to fear of not waking up; however, the number one way to deal with concussions is resting.

Most common symptoms include  headaches, confusion, lack of coordination, memory loss, nausea, dizziness, ringing in the ears, excessive fatigue, mild depression, sensitivity to light, and irritability, but everyone has different symptoms. It all depends on how many the person had in the past and how severe the injury to the head was, according to the high school nurse.

 Austin Bryner, a 9th grader at Big Spring High School, has experienced concussions for about two and a half years due to football. “I’ve had six concussions so far, and I won’t be joining football again, due to fear of getting another concussion. The hardest part about having a concussion is two things: the pain and nausea,” said Bryner.