Sports have always been an important part of our life as they are considered to be one of the most accessible recreational activities available to almost all population groups. There are, certainly, various kinds of sport that one can engage in, and, often times, they may be influenced by one’s socioeconomic status, religious beliefs, culture, geographical location and more. This aspect, however, is what makes sports so appealing to the public, and its uniqueness allows for accommodation of almost every personality. Sports generally allow children and adults to sustain their body, mind, and spirits in excellent shape by combining the two of the most important factors: physical exercise to keep the body lean and healthy and play to keep …show more content…
These extra steps certainly help but they are not always sufficient in preventing post-traumatic brain damage and its consequences. One of the most prevalent conditions that are thought to be associated with high-risk sports is called chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE which, generally, is a progressive degenerative neurological process that accommodates a variety of symptoms. Some of the symptoms of CTE are progressive cerebral atrophy, dementia, mood disorders like depression, increased aggression and more. Also, one of the most prominent anatomical differences between a healthy brain and a brain affected by CTE is the presence of increased levels of tau protein that accumulates in neurofibrillary tangles of the brain, thus, preventing the transmission of nervous signals from one neuron to another. CTE presents a serious concern because of the complexity of the disease and difficulties in diagnosing this condition which, interestingly, seems to be prevalent among those who participate in high trauma-level contact sports, but also those who suffered brain damage through accidents and/or during military missions. Despite the contradictions between the proponents and the opponents of a theory that contact sports predispose the athletes to CTE, a number of research studies …show more content…
First of all, according to McKee et al., it seems that it is not only severe head injuries that may predispose athletes to develop CTE later in life but also repetitive mild brain injuries that are often left unnoticed that play a significant role in developing this condition. The condition itself may be present through various symptoms and does not have to show all of the signs of the disease to be present as the condition is progressive throughout the lifespan. Furthermore, extensive research studies have shown significant evidence that sub-lethal brain damage during childhood years (before the age of twelve) when a human nervous system is undergoing its key development results in the impairment of brain function (intellectual performance later in life) which might contribute to the development of CTE condition later in life. Therefore, even if the link between mild TBI in childhood and CTE is not yet
CTE affects many different athletes all over the world. Chronic Traumatic encephalopathy or normally referred to as CTE is a brain disease that affects people who have had multiple head injuries. It is found in many cases of ex NFL players who took many hits to the head when playing over their careers. There are many documented cases of it across other sports and some military veterans as well. We have made large strides in learning more and more about the terrible disease. The game of football has changed since we have learned so much more about the terrible disease in recent years. We could prevent concussions by changing the way players practice.
Concussions and repeated head trauma have been linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease also known as CTE. It has been diagnosed in the brains of 88 of 92 former football players examined after death.
Most people can agree that sports are deeply imbedded in America’s culture. But through the years, more concern is being raised about a specific injury that is becoming more common while playing a sport- traumatic brain injury (TBI). A traumatic brain injury arises from an external force, causing damage to brain tissue. Brain trauma from youth football and the levels beyond can have devastating long-term effects.
Even with the advancements of equipment and rules, CTE is still effecting athletes. Athletes that have suffered significant trauma to the brain are at a severe risk for CTE. CTE has caused countless deaths, dozens of suicides and even
According to James Bukes of the Pittsburgh Post, “The physical manifestations of CTE are a reduction in brain weight with atrophy of the medial temporal lobe, the frontal and temporal cortices, the brainstem, cerebellum hippocampus and other parts of the brain” (Bukes). This reduction in brain weight and brain size is caused by repetitive hits to the head, which is most often found in sports such as boxing, hockey and most notably, American Football. Due to the reduction of brain size, CTE has become known as an extremely debilitating disease, as well as life threatening. In an article from the Northeastern University the symptoms of CTE have been stated as, “depression, anger, memory loss and suicide” (Polnerow). There have been several cases reported of football players committing suicide, and then later being found to have been afflicted by this disease, most notably Dave Duerson, who donated his brain to CTE research after having committed suicide. Even though CTE has been proven through repeated studies, the general public is still in conflict over the true dangers of CTE and even if CTE is a true disease. In one study, 90 brains that had been examined of football players postmortem, 86 of them had cases of CTE (Storin). This is nearly 96 percent of examined brains that were found to contain CTE, meanwhile only 10 percent of the public are reported
Within the last few years, the BU ADC developed a new branch called the Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center (CTE Center), which is devoted specifically to research this disease (Boston University, n.d.). In 2015, a team of scientists from the CTE Center conducted a study analyzing the brain tissue of deceased football players. The researchers separated the participants into two groups: (a) those who played professional football, and (b) those who had played football during some part of their lifetime (high school level, college level, etc.). The results showed that 87 of the 91 NFL players tested positive for CTE. In addition, 131 of the 195 subjects who had played football during some part of their lifetime tested positive for CTE (Breslow, 2015). This study proved that CTE could affect any athlete (including high school level athletes), not just professional
CTE has a large influence on football players that get a lot of concussions later on in life. “The condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy was formerly believed to exist primarily among boxers, and was referred to as dementia pugilistica. It is a progressive degenerative disease which afflicts the brain of people who have suffered repeated concussions and traumatic
Signs such as memory disturbances, behavioral and personality changes, parkinsonism, language, and gait abnormalities are just some of the few consequences people have to live with who are affected with CTE.1,5 The condition is characteristic of atrophy associated with medial and temporal lobes, ventricle dilation, and widespread tau-immunoreactive pathology. Evidence all points that repetitive traumatic brain injuries lead to CTE before any clinical manifestations arise.1 By instituting proper head protection, as well as safer return to play guidelines after head injury, CTE can be dramatically reduced in athletes all around the world. In more drastic approaches, certain high impact sports can be eliminated as a whole in order to greatly reduce CTE in athletes. There is no cure, no treatment options, and no tests available yet to diagnosis this disease. Experts urge that the best preventative to CTE is to avoid all contact sports in altogether, something that millions fail to
This paper connects contact sports with degenerative brain diseases. It also shows that CTE is not only connected to football because of the continuous tackling inducing trauma to the brain, but also soccer where heading the ball can often cause brain damage. This is supported by research of retired NFL football players and soccer players whose brains showed evidence of CTE. Also when the Mayo Clinic studying the brains of those who did not participate in contact sports showing no evidence of CTE. Based on scientific evidence degenerative brain diseases such as CTE are caused by successive concussions. Since concussions are one of the most common brain injuries seen in contact sports today there is a definite association between contact sports and degenerative brain diseases.
Concussions have been shown to be the cause of chronic traumatic encephalopathy or “CTE”, which has led to player suicides and other debilitating symptoms after retirement, including memory loss, depression, anxiety, headaches, and also sleep disturbances. “In CTE, a protein called Tau forms clumps that slowly spread throughout the brain, killing brain cells. CTE has been seen in people as young as 17, but symptoms do not generally begin appearing until years after the onset of head impacts.”(What Is CTE). This is why people are studying and trying to understand concussions fully in order to prevent and treat future ones. Concussions are very serious and shouldn’t be taken lightly which is why it has become a major topic in football. As much as professional and young athletes want to prove their toughness and continue to play, new research is proving that concussions are far more dangerous than anyone could have predicted.
This letter is in regards to some concerns for possible brain injuries that are likely to occur when playing sports but specifically rugby. The brain is the most essential function of the human body. In order to not only conduct an analysis but also understand the brain and we must complete a detailed training on how the brain is affected when a concussion takes place. According to several health professionals it only takes one brain injury to adjust the behavior of a person. Many hits to the head can take a devastating tool on the brain. There are studies showing that Rugby Football is destroying the brain of rugby football players. A common head injury is a Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a repetitive brain injury. The initial cause is occurs when the brain comes in
This problem is very important for people to understand in order to protect athletes and military personnel. The health of a persons brain is linked to this problem and people need to be aware of the damage constant hits to the head can cause. The parents of young athletes who are unaware of these things need to be educated so they can try to prevent chronic traumatic encephalopathy as best as possible. This is something that needs to be well know especially because the only real treatment of this is prevention of these constant head injuries. Once the damage has been done, it is irreversible. This is unlike that of a concussion because a concussion is reversible through the proper care and treatment. The symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy
There is a dark cloud hanging over the world of contact sports and it is growing at an alarming rate. With the size and speed of today’s athletes, the sports of football and hockey have become more exciting, fast paced, wide open, and fun to watch. However, there is another consequence of these ever growing athletes on their sports. They have made the collisions in them increasingly more violent. The velocity that these athletes hurl themselves through the air has created an atmosphere that could not have been imagined when these sports were created. Although the athletes’ bodies have become
Sports are a popular pastime among all ages and types of people. People not only participate in them for fun, but also for money, physical fitness, rush of competition, and for many other personal reasons. Playing sports is especially common among young people in schools. Athletics are great and enjoyable for many reasons, but there can be a point where sports participation can go too far and become negative for children and adults. Sports specialization for young people is an increasing trend that results in sports having a negative impact on individuals and society.
“Sports are for fun, but they also offer benefits and lessons that carry over into all aspects of life”. This well-known anonymous quotation conveys the message that sport is the game which has some rules and custom. It is not only for fun and entertainment, but there are also some benefits of playing sports and which gives some important lessons for life. Every kind of physical sports is healthy because it involves running, jumping, stretching, mind skills and much more. There are so many sports available in the world nowadays, but we can categorize them by the numbers of players, the three main categories are individual sport, dual sport and team sport.