Relationships October 14, 2016
Delivering a major wake up call for sports fans, players and their families, the PBS FRONTLINE and ESPN documentary “League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis” details the NFL’s attempts to downplay evidence linking repeated head injuries to lasting brain damage and mental disorders.
At the center of the debate: a progressive degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE impairs brain functions such as emotion and memory and could lead to episodes of rage, impulsivity or depression. Diagnosable only through a brain autopsy after death, doctors discovered CTE was rampant in pro-athletes, such as football players and boxers who had sustained repeated head trauma.
Now researchers have concluded that many sports, including soccer, hockey, rugby, baseball, lacrosse, snowboarding and basketball, can put athletes at risk for CTE. While concussions receive the most media attention, any hits that cause jarring movement of the brain inside the head can contribute to the disease. It’s all about cumulative damage.
Plus, team culture often discourages players from self-reporting concussions in order to keep playing, which is especially dangerous in youth athletes who require longer recovery times. According to The New York Times, 53 percent of players would continue play after getting a headache from a head injury.
Research from the Sports Concussion Institute shows the risk factor for sports-related concussions compounds with each injury. For example, if you receive one concussion, you are then one to two times more likely to get a second. After a second concussion, you are then two to four times more likely to receive a third. The institute also cautions that female athletes are more susceptible to concussions, exhibit more symptoms and take longer to recover than men.
So what should you do if a sport you love puts you at risk for CTE? First of all, if you’ve already sustained one concussion, don’t freak out. Dr. Ann McKee, Director of Neuropathology Care at Boston University’s CTE Center, told PBS that one concussion probably won’t lead to CTE. Repeated injuries (even subconcussive hits) add up over time. Unfortunately, researchers don’t conclusively know how many hits (or of what severity) it takes to trigger the disease or how long after the injuries the brain begins to deteriorate.
While preventing concussions and other high impact head injuries decreases your risk for CTE, emerging research shows that existing “concussion management” programs may not be substantial enough to protect players. Evidence presented by Dr. Robert Stern, Co-director of BU’s CTE Center, indicates that 85 percent of concussions require three weeks for recovery, while current standards might allow a player to return to competition after as few as five days.
Don’t put too much faith in your helmet either. While helmets can protect your head, they do not protect your brain. Scientific American explains that you can suffer serious head injuries such as concussions even while wearing a helmet. A helmet cannot protect your brain as it “smashes against the skull.”
For now, the safest route is to avoid high contact sports, at least until scientists understand more about how to prevent and treat CTE (currently no treatment exists). If you can’t bear to walk away from your sport, take every precaution to reduce your risk for head trauma. Limit full contact practices and demand the proper enforcement of rules intended to prevent injury. If you do get hurt, give your body the time it needs to fully recover.
Will you keep playing a sport even if it puts you at risk for CTE? Let ENTITY know why or why not in the comments below.
