Samuel Baker

Breanne Weber
UWRT 1102
24 October 2016
Annotated Bibliography entry 1
Singh, Dave G., Gerald J. Maher, and Ray R. Padilla. "Customized Mandibular Orthotics in the
Prevention of of concussion/mild traumatic brain injury in football players: a preliminary study"
Dental Traumatology. Wiley Online Library, 9 July 2009. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.
The aim of this study is to determine whether the use of a customized mandibular orthotic
after temporo-mandibular joint assessment reduces the incidence of concussion/ mild traumatic
brain injuries in football players. The key ideas are to decide whether or not a customized
mandibular mouthguards prevents concussions. The author used statistics from studies done
through football players who used regular mouthpieces versus those who use custom
mouthguards. The study shows that they in fact do help prevent concussions.
The author is responding to the issues of concussions in football and how they can be
prevented. The purpose is to decide if a custom mandibular orthotic device can prevent or reduce
the likelihood of concussions or traumatic head injuries in football. The information in this
article provides statistics that show concussions and mild traumatic head injuries can be reduced
or prevented by using custom mouthguards. This affects my argument by confirming
concussions can be reduced or prevented.

Samuel Baker
Breanne Weber
UWRT 1102
24 October 2016
Annotated Bibliography entry 2
Breslow, Jason M. "High School Football Players Face Bigger Concussion Risk" Frontline.
PBS.org, 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.
High school football players are nearly twice as likely to sustain a concussion as are
college players, yet it remains unclear as to whether repetitive head injuries can lead to longterm brain disease, according to a new report released Wednesday. This article takes research
from studies done by the Institute of Medicine and shows approximately how many concussions
are experienced for 10,000 games and practices combined. The studies also show that most
concussions last 2 weeks. The studies conducted in this article were used to determine whether
concussions lead to long term brain damage. Concussions are very serious and if left unreported
can lead to serious injury.
The author is responding to how many concussions a player can experience during their
career in football. The purpose is to show that stricter rules and regulations should be put in
place to help prevent brain injury. This article helps strengthen my argument by showing that
stricter rules and regulations need to be enforced by referees and game officials. It also helps my
argument by stating "properly fitted helmets can help prevent head injuries like concussions".

Samuel Baker
Breanne Weber
UWRT 1102
24 October 2016
Annotated Bibliography entry 3
Mayo Clinic Staff. "Concussion - Mayo Clinic." Diseases and Conditions: Concussion. Mayo
Clinic, 2 Apr. 2014. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.
"A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that alters the way your brain functions, and
these effects are usually temporary but can include headaches and problems with concentration,
memory, balance and coordination." This article takes research from the mayo clinic and tells
what concussions are, the symptoms, causes, risk factors, and complications involved with
concussions. I learned that concussions happen when a violent blow to the head or neck occurs
and the brain collides with the inner walls of the skull. I also learned the symptoms are headache,
temporary loss of consciousness, confusion, amnesia, dizziness, ringing in the ears, nausea,
vomiting, slurred speech, delayed response to questions, appearing dazed, and fatigue. The
situation the author is responding to is concussions and the risk factors, what can be done to
prevent, and how to tell if you have a concussion.
The research in this article helps my argument by telling the symptoms, risk factors, and
causes of concussions. This article also supports my argument that more precautions should be
taken by stating "No one should return to play or vigorous activity while signs or symptoms of a
concussion are present, and experts recommend that an athlete with a suspected concussion not
return to play until he or she has been medically evaluated by a health care professional trained
in evaluating and managing concussions."

Samuel Baker
Breanne Weber
UWRT 1102
24 October 2016
Annotated Bibliography entry 4
Polnerow, Dan. "Solving Footballs Concussion Problem | NU Writing." Solving Football's
Concussion Problem. Northeastern's Undergraduate Writing Program, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2016.
"This pattern will likely continue until three crucial changes come about: the effect that
different impacts have on players must be quantified, the causes of concussion need to be better
understood and more reliably diagnosed by the medical community, and a more complete testing
procedure for helmets has to be developed and implemented." The article is arguing how
concussions in football can be prevented or reduced. The research is arguing that unless changes
are made to the rules and regulations, concussions are going to continue to happen. The NCAA
and NFL both put in rules to make head to head contact illegal and targeting defenseless
receivers is also illegal. The article also states that major helmet manufacturers are working to
create a helmet to prevent these concussions. "Riddell, the largest helmet manufacturer and
maker of the official helmet of the NFL, produces the Revolution Speed helmet system, which
utilizes high density vinyl nitrile foam, a facemask designed to absorb some of the energy of the
impact, and a larger shell to fit more padding." These innovations can help prevent long-term
effects on football players brains.
This article is relevent to my argument because it shows facts about how concussions can
be prevented and the rules that are put in place to prevent concussions. This article also tells
about the importance and how bad these damages to the brain can be.

Samuel Baker
Breanne Weber
UWRT 1102
24 October 2016
Annotated Bibliography entry 5
Numbers, By The. "Concussion Facts | Sports Concussion Institute." Concussion Facts | Sports
Concussion Institute. Sports Concussion Institute, 1 June 2008. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
The purpose of this website was to inform the reader about the effects of concussions on
the brain and what happens when someone has a traumatic force to their head. A concussion is
defined as a complex pathophysiological process that affects the brain, typically induced by
trauma to the brain. It can be caused either by a direct blow to the head, or an indirect blow to the
body, causing neurological impairments that may resolve spontaneously. A major determinant of
sport-related concussions is an athlete's prior history of concussions. Research suggests that if
someone has already received one concussion, they are 1-2 times more likely to receive a second
one. Once an athlete has had a concussion they have to be really careful. Various factors
contribute to the decision of returning an athlete to play after sustaining a concussion. With
computerized neuropsychological testing procedures acting as the "cornerstone for concussion
management", patients at the Sports Concussion Institute will be administered an additional
battery of tests that assess cognitive and neurobehavioral function.
The article helped me learn more information about the traumatic effects on the human
body when the brain has a forced blow to the head. The author is responding to the amount of
injuries in sports such as football and soccer players. All of the reasoning found on this website is
accurate and is backed up by scientific findings and statistics. This article affects my argument

because it backs up everything that I believed to be true about concussions. The way that the
article is set up makes it easier for me to clearly understand the points that are being made.