
Concussion can occur during all of these sports. Which two have the highest risk for concussion?
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Football | Gymnastics | Soccer |
Motor Racing | Horseback riding | Diving |
Cycling | Snowboarding | Martial Arts |
Alpine skiing | | |
Hockey and Football
Why are Concussions Under Reported?Many sports that are considered high risk for concussion can be played at the professional level. This puts a lot of pressure on athletes from an early age to be competitive. In order to make it big, some athletes feel pressure from their parents, coaches, teammates, and even themselves. Regardless of their ambitions, missing games— no matter how few—can affect an athlete’s chances of success.
Many athletes, parents, coaches, and even qualified athletic trainers don’t see concussion as a brain injury. They may also see it as a single event that an athlete will completely recover from. Research now shows that repeated concussions might lead to the loss of brain function over time. Multiple concussions may lead to long-term problems, and returning to play too soon may put an athlete at risk for other health issues, including what some call Second Impact Syndrome (SIS). Others believe that any head trauma in rare circumstances can trigger the brain swelling associated with SIS in vulnerable individuals.
This adds to the risk that athletes may not recognize that their symptoms might be due to concussion.
An athlete does not need to lose consciousness to have a concussion. But since many people don’t know this, athletes are often sent back to play within minutes of being on the bench. Others may sit out the rest of the game, but are not sent to a doctor for follow-up.
Dr Michael Clarfield answers the question: 
Will Sidney Cosby’s recent and much talked about concussion be what finally brings about change to hockey, and beyond? There’s nothing new about concussions in hockey, or any contact sport for that matter. But what is new is how the professional players themselves are standing up and speaking about concussion. Eric Lindros openly talks about the effects of concussion on his hockey career and his personal life. The once hockey prodigy talked openly about anxiety, depression, broken relationships and even suicidal thoughts in an article titled “Concussion: the untold story” in Maclean’s (May 19, 2011). Kevin Kaminski, Jeff Beukeboom, Rob Drummond, Max Taylor also contributed to smashing the silence in this article.