Rodeo is a dangerous sport that can cause many serious injuries due to the physical toll it takes on one's body. Head injuries are very common in rodeo because not only can you be stepped on or kicked, you can also be pulled down on a bulls head, land wrong on the ground, thrown into the fence or chutes and during the ride your head is constantly being whipped around causing sever head and neck injuries.
The term Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is defined as any injury to the brain that was caused by an external physical force that results in partial or total functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both. TBI applies to open and closed head injuries causing impairments in one or more areas, areas such as cognition, language, memory, attention, reasoning, abstract thinking, judgment, problem solving, sensory, perceptual, motor skills, psychosocial behavior, physical functions, information processing, and speech.
(, 2003) TBI also includes other head injuries such as concussions. Concussions are caused by the brain literally bouncing around inside the skull, which causes a short-term disruption of electrical activity in the brain. Tissues surround the brain, which acts as a cushion between the brain and the skull, head injuries can include these tissues and can also grow into a much more serious injury such as bleeding inside the skull and seizures.
The signs and symptoms of a head injury include loss of consciousness, confusion and inability to focus attention, headaches, nausea or vomiting, unequal pupils and vacant stares, memory loss, delayed responses and slurred speech, odd bodily sensations, disorientation and observable lack of coordination, and overly emotional to situation. (, 2003)
When it is questionable whether a cowboy does suffer from a head injury or not a supervisor must test the injured person. When testing for a...