After Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered his fourth concussion in three years this past September, concussions have become a talking point in the sports world.
Teenagers experience some of the highest concussion rates. Research from UC San Francisco reveals that youth aged 15-19 are the most affected, with 16.5 concussions per 1,000 patients. Additionally, concussions often have a more significant impact on teenagers. According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, teenagers “may require longer recovery times and more careful treatment for concussions compared to adults.”
Concussions, whether from sports or daily activities, are prevalent on M-A’s campus, raising the question: how do concussions affect student life?
Sophomore Siya Singla got a concussion after she was kicked in the head at dance practice. “It’s tough, not only directly after, because you miss those days but after that too,” she said. “It was very hard for me to look at screens. The light would hurt my head and give me bad headaches. Also, I would get tired really easily.”
Singla missed six days of school due to her concussion, and the effects didn’t stop once she returned to M-A. “There was a month and a half where I was having these really bad headaches all the time,” Singla said.
Sophomore Aria Jones suffered a concussion after an accident at her crew practice. Though the accident happened on October 21st, she hasn’t returned to school full-time due to the severity of her concussion. “I leave early because I can’t handle any more school, or so I can rest and not overdo it,” she said. “I just go to get out of my room.”
Junior Matthew Kwon has had two concussions, both from playing football. “It was just bad luck,” Kwon said. “They were both moments that were out of my control”.
Kwon’s concussions were much less severe. “I didn’t have to miss school or anything, and I didn’t have any major headaches either time. I only felt symptoms for about a week,” he said. “I’m just grateful they weren’t super bad.”
Both Jones and Singla said their concussions impacted their schoolwork, though in different ways. “It’s been hard to concentrate lately, but my grades have been okay because I got a temporary 504, so I have extra time,” Singla said. Jones, on the other hand, said her grades have been affected. “My grades went from all A’s to three C’s and four A’s,” she said. “The concussion definitely made things harder.”
With time and rest, concussions usually go away. “For the majority of concussions, symptoms completely resolve within four weeks,” Lurie Children’s Hospital stated. In the meantime, it’s important to stay diligent throughout your recovery.
“Don’t push yourself,” Jones said. “Even if you really want to do something, think before you do it. Know that if you do some things, it’ll make everything worse, and that’s not worth it in the long run. You’ll just be out longer.”
