Concussions or traumatic brain injuries are not only a severe issue locally however it is also a problem globally. Traumatic brain injuries are the leading cause of death and disability in children and adults and is related to nearly half of all trauma deaths. The annual estimated incidence of TBI requiring hospitalisation among Australia, Europe and the United States is 60-250 per 100,000 population, with “80% - 90% of these cases categorised as mild TBI” (15).
Loss of consciousness is reported in 10% - 20% of cases.
According to a research study conducted by MJA, in the United States substantial economic and societal effects of traumatic brain injuries have been reported, with an estimation of 1.7 million people receiving a TBI annually; this is associated with 1.4 million emergency room visits and 275000 hospitalisations. The number of concussions reported to the National Collegiate Athletic Association increased majorly by 7% annually from the 1988-89 to 2003-04 US academic years. This could be influenced due to Australia having no routine monitoring or reporting of sport-related concussions overall increasing incidence of injury globally.
The reasons for the increasing trends of hospitalisation for concussions could reflect the adapting health delivery system such as improved detection of concussion and its diagnosis in the hospital setting. Sports delivery factors could also contribute to the increasing trends. Increased competitiveness may cause faster game speeds and more intense activity leading to higher forces of collision contributing to the increase of 7%.
Easy strategies to help prevent local sport induced concussions includes providing appropriate headgear that will reduce the effect of high impact collisions, simple rule changing and implementing game modifications, better education of coaches and players and making sure everyone adheres to return-to-play guidelines post a head injury. Global strategies that can be done to reduce head injuries could be creating policies for different sports that decrease the risk of individuals getting knocked to the head. For example, the NFL league added requirements for the use of protective Guardian Caps which are padded helmet covers that provide impact reduction. This reduced 50% of concussions.