General

Researcher confirms high rate of CTE in football players

In any type of accident or collision, there is the potential for serious injury. In a motor vehicle accident, for instance, people can suffer broken bones and severe back injuries. Even if a collision involves something much smaller than a car — like another human — there is the potential for serious injuries.

This is the conclusion Dr. Ann McKee, a neuropathologist, reached after examining the brains of 111 deceased professional football players. She found that 110 of them show evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. The condition is found in people who have suffered repeated blows to the head.

The findings confirm what some have believed for many years: collisions like those in the NFL have a long-term and often devastating impact on the players. Not only do players exhibit signs of memory loss, confusion and dementia, some also exhibited significant shifts in personality and mood.

According to the report, the blows that can cause CTE don’t need to be severe enough to cause a concussion. In fact, there seems to be a connection between a high number of non-violent blows and CTE. The study found that a linebacker in the NFL might experience more than 15,000 of these so-called sub-concussive hits.

Understanding more about certain events and their connection to serious brain injuries like CTE can be crucial in eventually examining possible treatments and cures. As it stands now, a CTE diagnosis can only be made postmortem, and the most effective treatment is prevention. As is the case with any brain injury, though, it can be possible to minimize brain damage with early detection and monitoring. This can be demanding, financially, physically and emotionally.

If you or a loved one suffers from the effects of a catastrophic brain injury, you can discuss your case with an attorney to examine the options for compensation. In some situations, you can file a claim against the negligent party responsible for your injury and seek the financial remedies you deserve and need to cope with the effects of a brain injury.

Tue Aug 28, 8:41pm