They say injuries in sports must happen for one to truly learn that sport. This statement can be true but to some extent- only to the point that the injury associated doesn’t have life-changing effects. Accidents in sports have caused many such injuries. The most common and also the most lethal are concussions. In this article, I will discuss concussions and TBI. Before I go on, I must state that no matter how bad your injury gets- there is always hope.
What is TBI?
TBI stands for Traumatic Brain Injury- and it is caused by a force exerted on the head. How bad the case is- certainly- depends on how hard the blow to the head was. TBI can be considered a form of concussion- and, in fact, it would be highly recommended to take every form of concussion extremely seriously. TBI is often a clandestine threat as its effects are very often invisible in the any outsider’s eyes. An approximate 5.3 million Americans have fallen prey of this injury.
What are the effects of TBI?
Although the effect of TBI can range widely, however, its adverse effects can be devastating. It has the potential to destroy an individual person’s life. It must be noted that a significant amount of people suffer from TBI as it is often not diagnosed. A summary of its negative effects would be memory loss, insomnia, vision impairment, movement problems etc.
TBI and sports
Like I mentioned earlier, TBI is normally caused by blows to the brain-so, what better place to get head blow than in sports. The physical nature of sports means TBI is a good friend of sports. Although, much prevention is taken but disasters, like always, find their way in.
The story of Steve Young
Steve Young is an eminent former quarterback of NFL. This hall of famer is quite familiar with TBI. Steve suffered around 7 concussions before retiring in 1999. He suffered immensely afterward, however, he prevailed as he persevered. He talked about his struggles in the documentary: “League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis”. Steve is now an ESPN football analyst. He is truly an inspiration both in and out of the fields.
In conclusion, I would say even if you suffer from TBI don’t make that the full stop of your life. Address it, fight it and rise above it and you can truly win your fight.