Everyone enjoys a good game of football, soccer, basketball, really any impact sport. Yet at any given moment players are at risk of suffering something very serious – a concussion.

A concussion is a form of traumatic brain injury (TBI), in which the brain smashes forcefully against the skull.

TBIs can happen in many different ways; from hitting the head on the ground after a tackle, to a head-to-head collision during a play. It is hard to prevent getting concussions, and they happen.

“The players have to be in shape, well coached, have good equipment, and be educated on what a concussion is,” football coach John Villareal said.

Some may wonder how it feels to have a concussion.

“When it happened, I fell to the floor. I had blurry vision, it was hard to concentrate and I felt lightheaded,” varsity basketball player Daniel Gutierrez said. “It took me about two weeks to recover, but after that I noticed I was slower. It’s scary when it happens, but I feel another would be the same.”

When a player gets a concussion the first thing they want to know is how soon can they get back to playing.

“There is no average time recovery, everyone heals at a different rate. Severity of the concussion also plays a part in the recovery time,” athletic trainer Ineka Martin said.

When a player experiences a concussion they must follow the guidelines put in place by the University Interscholastic League (UIL).

Sideline testing is the first step taken after a concussion.

These tests consist of balancing, memory, and functioning to clarify the abilities of the player. Athletic trainers also use tools such as SCAT2 (an application used to evaluate athletes for concussions) to help document the results.

Then the player is referred to a physician or the ER, and all players suspected of a concussion must begin a five day treatment know as the Return To Play protocol (RTP). This protocol must be completed and cleared by a physician in order to participate in any sport again.

“The best thing someone with a concussion can do is rest. Imagine you have a broken arm, you would cast it. Well, when you have a brain injury it’s impossible to just stop using it, so the best “cast” for the brain is to rest,” coach Martin said.

Concussions are a serious matter that many players do not take into consideration. Coach Martin said there have been approximately 20 concussions treated this year.

Each year players are at risk of injuries day after day. Some sports have higher ratings of injuries, but a concussion can lead to post health issues such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and other health issues.