The Importance Of ALS In Professional Sports

Hard Hitter, No Quitter Over the last decade there has been plenty of awareness concerning Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), and concussions, but not enough about what causes these diseases. ALS can be a torturous disease, with no cure and effects lasting many years, leading to more suffering. CTE leads to irreversible brain damage and other incurable illnesses.Concussions have become common in the sports world today, but without the proper treatment may be just as bad as ALS or CTE. These diseases are a serious matter that affect million, yet an area that lacks funding, both in youth and professional sports. Although athletes are very driven and dedicated for the game, safety precautions should
ALS is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. Over time it weakens brain muscles and nerve cells in the brain along with killing motor neurons. This makes it harder to do everyday things such as eat, speak, breathe, and later leads to becoming disabled. This Disease was brought attention to by the ice bucket challenge, in which nominees pour a bucket of ice cold water over their head to temporarily mimic the feeling of ALS. The challenge itself raised over $115 million in 2012 alone thanks to donations made by the participants. This challenge united all ages to be informed about such a serious topic.. This disease is usually diagnosed later in life and the life expectancy after being diagnosed is not high. Only 25% are alive 5 years after being diagnosed, the shortest expectancy out of all three
Concussions and Head Trauma go hand in hand when it comes to sports. A concussion is a brain injury caused by a blow to the head, can also be said as violent shaking or bruising or the brain. This affects balance, eyesight, strength, and the prefrontal region of the brain. Many describe that a concussion has a feeling close to being hit in the head with a sledgehammer. In the NFL the force of one is approximately the same as being hit at 20 mph. Although there is no cure or guaranteed prevention against concussions, there are ways to reduce symptoms, including less use of electronic devices, complete rest, and a break from the sport until symptoms diminish. Football, a male dominated sport, maintains to be number one on the most recieved list, but it was proven that women get twice as more concussions as men. A study found that the cause for this was the girth of women's necks seems to be much smaller than men's, as well as the hormone estradiol in women is a common cause for migraines, making it worse when attaining a concussion. There are 3 tests that can be given to properly diagnose a concussion, they happen to be, a neurological exam (vision, hearing, etc.), cognitive tests (memory), and imaging tests (CT scan, MRI). Through all the funding raised, especially for youth sports, a better protocol and more efficient protective measures should be taken in order to ensure better safety for athletes on the