In an article written by Michael Dregni titled, "CTE Found in 99 Percent of NFL Players Studied" he discusses information from an interview with Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist, about the impact that high-contact sports can have on the brain. CTE stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and it has been found to be quite prevalent in football players. CTE is associated with repeated trauma to the head. 202 deceased football players' brains were researched and CTE was found in 177 of those players. 110 of the 111 players that played in the National Football League had been found to have CTE. Families were interviewed about their loved ones to discover more information about their histories. Among those diagnosed with severe CTE, 89 percent were found to have behavioral disorders, mood disorders or both. 95 percent of them had cognitive issues and 85 percent had indications of dementia. The research is limited by the fact that the participants of the research may have been motivated to participate because of the awareness that repetitive blows to the head can cause CTE.
Bennet Omalu was the first person to discover it in 2002 when he was performing an autopsy on former Pittsburg Steelers lineman, "Iron Mike" Webster, who died at the age of 50. Webster was known for never missing a football game from 1975 to 1986. Webster suffered from ailments such as dementia, delusions, paranoia and explosive moods for the last years of his life. Omalu states that CTE is caused by trauma by blunt force or acceleration-decleartion injuries through sports or car accidents. Some of the symptoms of CTE include depression, bipolar disorder, decrease in executive processing, substance abuse, impulsivity, memory loss and decreased intelligence and language. CTE can be diagnosed based on symptoms in those who are living but only a definitive diagnosis can be made after death. Omalu believes that eventually CTE could have a treatment or at least an intervention that can slow down how the disease progresses.
Omalu believes that pharamological interventions may be more helpful than technological devices. He states that no children under the age of 18 should participate in activites like boxing, football, hockey, wrestling, mixed martial arts or rugby because the brain is not fully developed. In sports like soccer, he suggests removing "heading the ball" for those under 18 years of age and participation in soccer to start around the age of 12-14 years old. Some noncontact sports that could serve as alternatives include track and field, basketball, volleyball, badminton, tennis, swimming, table tennis, etc. He states that high-impact, high-contact sports put people at an increased risk of developing a brain injury, and that we should keep our children away from such activites. To find out more ways to keep you and your family healthy, please visit our website at www.oxborochiro.com.
Source: https://experiencelife.com/article/cte-concussions-nfl-football/
