Is football to dangerous Essay Example for Free

Is football to dangerous EssayThe life threatening spinal-corduroy injury that Buffalo Bills tight leftover Kevin Everett suffered on Sunday while trying to make a tackle adds urgency to a enquiry that gnaws at the NFL with each passing season is playing pro football worth the risks? Everett, 25, remains sedated and on a respirator at Millard Fill more than Gates Hospital in Buffalo following surgery to brighten the pres indisputable on his spine. His orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Andrew Cappucino, had said Everetts chances of walking again are bleak or dismal. However, after Everett voluntarily moved his arms and legs on Tuesday, Cappuccino reportedly told a Buffalo TV station we whitethorn be witnessing a minor miracle. Its only the first week of the season, but already the list of hurt players is growing. Both New York quarterbacks Eli Manning of the Giants and Chad Pennington of the Jets may miss games because of shoulder and ankle injuries, respectively. Orlando Pace, the all-pro despicable lineman from the St. Louis Rams, tore the labrum and rotator lash in his right shoulder.He testament miss the season. A steady stream of injuries marred Cincinnatis electrifying 27-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens Monday night about a dozen Ravens visited the team doctor Tuesday morning for treatment. None, however, study to Everetts tragic injury. The third- stratum Bill suffered a fracture and disclocation of his spine, in which the C3 and C4 vertebrae in his spinal cord were telescoped when he went in to tackle the Broncos Domenik Hixon on a kickoff return.Everetts helmeted interrogation made while away with the hard p finaleic of Hixons shoulder pad, and he immediately dropped to the ground, his spinal cord shocked by the impact. He had a compressive load to his spine, and the spine doesnt handle those kinds of loads very well, says Dr. Joseph Kowalski, director of the Spine Center at Erie County Medical Center, and an orthopedic specialist who has spo ken with Everetts doctors. This caused the vertebrae to separate and fracture. Of immediate concern with such a wound are the ABCs airway, breathing and circulation.Because the nerves that control breathing are located in the C3-4 part of the spine, doctors on the field and in the emergency room were initially focused on making sure that Everetts breathing and blood pressure were maintained. Kowalski notes that in the hours following his injury, Everett did have some sensation in his legs, although he could not move them. That could be an encouraging sign, but spine experts have seen enough spinal cord injuries to know that every case is different, and early response is not always a good indicator of later recovery.Everett may have damaged his spine in the way he dove in for his tackle, with a move known as spearing, in which a player contacts his opponent head first. Because the head and spine are aligned, in this position the spine tends to bear the brunt of the blow, which i s why the National Collegiate acrobatic Association banned spear tackling in 1976. Beginning in grade school, players are now taught to go for their head up during a tackle, and a sign reminding players to SEE WHAT YOU HIT hangs in every NFL storage locker room.I played 20 years ago in high school, and my coaches really pounded home the consider for good form, to keep the head up to maintain the curvature of the head and spine to dissipate every forces from impact, says Dr. Andrew Sama, spinal surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. But everything happens so fast on the field, all it conveys is a tiny change in head position to tug you in trouble . It doesnt help that todays players are also bigger, faster and stronger, which means that each impact packs more punch.Since 1985, the average weight of NFL players has ballooned 10%, to 248 pounds, according to a recent study by Scripps Howard News Service. The heaviest position, offensive tackle, has gone fr om 281 pounds two decades ago to 318 pounds today. So, the dozens of high-speed hits that happen every game carry a higher likelihood of potentially hazardous results. While catastrophic injuries like Everetts remain rare, reports of concussions and other distasteful trauma on the football field are starting to pile up even at the high school and college level.In a study of high school and college football players published last summer, the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine found that between 1989 and 2002, on average of six players per year became quadriplegic after an injury on the field. Even more alarming was the cause of these catastrophic injuries spear tackling. particularly on a kickoff or punt return, the whole purpose is to just collide with your opponent, to take somebody out, notes Sama. And when you have athletes at the top of their game going full force, unfortunately these things happen. Is better equipment the dress? Yes and no.Responding to the gr owing concern over concussions on the field, helmet manufacturers have added aid bladders to cushion the head as well as support to the cheek, jaw and facemask areas. But nothing has yet been developed that can cheer the spine, especially during a spear tackle. The newer helmets are not going to significantly change the stress the neck opening sees as a result of a top-of-the-head blow, Andrew Tucker, team doctor for the Baltimore Ravens, says. Right now, the prevention of these types of injuries lies in veracious tackling technique. Thats much more important than anything we can do on the equipment side. Under pressure by topical and retired NFL players, many of them suffering from disabilities for which they are demanding benefits, the NFL is also addressing the worrying rise in concussions. For the first time, all players were mandatory to take neuropsychological tests by the start of the 2007 season. Doctors can then use these results to establish a baseline of cognitive ab ilities, memory and motor skills against which they can compare scores after a head injury. The alliance also added a concussion hotline that players can anonymously call if coaches are forcing them to play against medical advice.such(prenominal) measures wont prevent catastrophic injuries on the gridiron, but they may help to keep them to a minimum. by TaboolaSponsored ContentFROM THE clear The New Miss Israel reThink Israel 7 Flexible Degrees You Can Earn On The have Yahoo Education Little Known Way to Pay Off Mortgage One expert Penny $6 Billion Vanishes From State Dept. 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