How Concussions Affect Student Athletes

            The St. Lawrence University Athletic Training staff has already diagnosed 17 student athletes with concussions this semester alone. Concussions can be very serious injuries and affect people in many ways. These injuries impact students’ day to day life and makes attending class very difficult. 

            A concussion is a brain injury caused by a blow to the head or a violent shaking of the head and body. “There are many physical signs of a concussion” said Nikki Williams, an athletic trainer at St. Lawrence University. Some of the signs a patient experiences are “nausea, headache, sensitivity to light, numbness in extremities, neck pain and pressure in their head,” Williams said. 

Williams also stated that the physical signs of a concussion are “disorientation, loss of balance, eye dilation and eye tracking issues.” Physicians examines for these symptoms to determine if a person has a concussion. 

            Furthermore, according to Williams, to diagnose a concussion, three baseline tests are utilized: the scat 5 sideline assessment, King Devick eye tracking test, and the online cognitive test. These tests are very useful in diagnosing concussions because they are compared to a baseline test. The test is given when a concussion is suspected and compared to the baseline to determine if the athlete has a concussion.

            Cameron Guyer ’23, a student athlete at St. Lawrence, was recently diagnosed with a concussion. Guyer said he experienced headache and sensitivity to light. Guyer’s concussion prevented him from attending class.

            Guyer said, “accommodations were given to me for 10 days of no attendance and late work.” His symptoms did not allow him to look at computer screens for long periods of time, so he fell behind on his work. In total, Guyer missed three days of classes which put him behind in his studies. 

            Although Guyer’s studies were affected by his concussion, his professors were very understanding. The professors understood what he was experiencing and did not put any pressure on him about getting assignments turned in and attend class. 

            Guyer said he was not only affected in the classroom but out of it as well. “I had to wear blue light glasses to help with looking at my phone and computer,” he said. Guyer was also not allowed to go out socially. He could not be in large groups because the noise affected his head. This as a result affected his mental health.

            The national trend in concussions has been increasing. Parents realize this trend and are concerned about their children’s health.

             “I would allow my child to play contact sports but would look into the risk involved in each sport” said Trisha. She is worried about her child, but she has prepared her child for the risk of the sport.

            Trisha stated, “I would make sure that my child was properly equipped for the sport with the safest equipment.” Trisha believes that there are benefits to playing sports, so although there is a risk of brain injury, she would still let her child play. 

            Concussion is a very serious injury. “With early recognition they are already serious but when not recognized or if the athlete tries to play through the concussion, it becomes much worse,” said Williams. Concussions impact student life in more than just the classroom. These injuries should be taken seriously and if they are not, they can have long term effects on the patient.