When Trinity sophomore basketball player Christian Thieneman went up for a layup in a recent game, it was just like every other layup he practiced. But then there was some contact, and that’s where things went south for the sophomore. “I went up for the layup,” he said, “and I got flipped back. When that happened, my head hit the floor.” He said he felt fine when he got up. Not long after the fall, he realized things weren’t right. “A play after, though, I felt woozy,” Thieneman said. Nobody knew it yet, but Thieneman had experienced a concussion. What is a concussion? A concussion is not an injury visible on the surface of the body. According to webmd.com , a concussion “is a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head or body that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull.” “Concussions usually don’t show damage on a CAT scan,” said a local neurologist, who added that a concussion can be diagnosed by listening “to the story” of the injured player. What was the player doing at the time of the injury and what were his symptoms after the injury? Even though you cannot see a concussion, symptoms are definitely there. Although all concussions are different, some common symptoms may include not thinking clearly, blurred vision, loss of consciousness, loss of memory, difficulty sleeping, and even changes in emotion. Trinity head athletic trainer Bill Cubbage said there are no single list of symptoms of a concussion. “There are no usual symptoms,” he said, “It really varies from person to person.” The days after Theineman experienced his concussion, he felt the symptoms. “I had constant headaches for three days straight,” he said. This was Thieneman’s first concussion, and luckily for him, was not as severe as it might have been. Others have not been so “lucky.” Trinity junior Ramsey Mayne happens to play hockey. He also happens to have had six concussions in his lifetime. Of all of those concussions, his latest one might be the worst. “I was skating full speed down the side of the rink, and I got hit,” Mayne said. “It wasn’t a hard hit, but it caused me to move enough to where I hit a post head-on.” Unlike Thieneman, Mayne was actually knocked unconscious from the hit. “I don’t remember for how long,” he said. “The first thing I remember was my coach carrying me to the bench.” He, too, had headaches after this concussion, but it’s the other repercussions that made this one stand out. “I couldn’t think clearly. Things that you thought you’d remember, you don’t,” he said. “You just wonder what happened. It took me about a month to fully recover from this concussion. It took me a whole week at school to realize where I was or who my teachers were.” This concussion would certainly be considered severe, but is there really a difference between a severe concussion and a mild one? “There is no definite difference between a mild concussion and a severe one,” Cubbage said. According to the neurologist, “Any damage to the brain is not a good thing. The brain spends its whole life compensating for problems.” Having a concussion, or multiple concussions, may hinder this ablility, and the brain may lose its ability to get around problems. Even though there is really no easy way to treat a concussion, Cubbage recommends rest as the most important way to recover from a concussion. “The best thing you can do is rest,” he said. “You need to rest the brain.” “The length of time before a player returns (to play) depends on the severity of the symptoms,” the neurologist said. This is where players, even at the high school level, may ignore the symptoms to get back on the playing field sooner. This could jeopardize their future health. “The worst-case scenario is permanent damage,” Cubbage said. Concussions are a major problem in this country with more than 3.8 million sports and recreational concussions every year in the United States, according to webmd.com . Brain injury has been an especially hot topic among current and retired National Football League players who have sustained long-term damage because of repeated blows to the head. As more information comes out about concussions and their long-term effects, safety measures to help protect players have increased. Cubbage said, “The equipment has gotten better, especially in the helmet. I think that the mouthpiece may be the most important piece of equipment because when a player anticipates a collision, they bite down. When the collision occurs, the jaw jolts upward into the brain. I think every athlete should be required to wear (a mouthpiece).” As technology is increasing, so is awareness of concussions and the symptoms. Educating coaches and players is vital to players’ health. Awareness of this problem is improving, but there is still much that needs to be done. The game of football and other contact sports may eventually die off if nothing is done. Cubbage doesn’t believe they’ll die off, but he does see major changes on the horizon. “I don’t know if they’ll quit,” he said. “But I know in 15 years the game won’t be the same.”