Is the connection between impact sports and CTE something that needs to be addressed?
In the United States, NFL officials have historically downplayed the connection between concussions and CTE, attributing symptoms to other factors such as performance-enhancing drugs. To address the concussion crisis, the NFL has implemented rule changes and partnered with engineers to develop safer helmets. However, the most effective approach to combating CTE involves early detection through MRI brain scans, which are a potential method for identifying the disease in living patients and subsequently facilitating early intervention. While other contact sports such as boxing have been shown to increase the risk of traumatic brain injury as well as CTE, the impact the NFL has on CTE is the most prominent in today’s society. This editorial emphasizes the need for the NFL to acknowledge the clear link between concussions and CTE and to invest in comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic strategies such as new monoclonal antibody therapies. Despite ethical and technical challenges, such as the use of embryonic stem cells and the risks associated with radioactive scans, advancing these methods could save lives and improve the long-term health outcomes of current and former NFL players. Enhanced understanding and proactive management of CTE are crucial for mitigating the severe impact of concussions in professional football.
In an article released by the National Institute of Health, even though there is clear evidence that shows the detrimental effects of trauma on the brain, the NFL did not address this issue until 2009.
Although numerous post-mortem examinations confirm CTE in former NFL players, the NFL asserts that the findings of CTE result not from the repeated concussions suffered by players but rather from the use of performance-enhancing drugs, as mentioned in Miller’s article “A Late Hit for Pro Football Players” that was published on Science. In an article released by the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, Mack et al. bring to light data collected between 2015 and 2019 and identified a total of 1,302 concussions of which 80% occurred in NFL games. In the results, he concluded that, due to the concussion reduction strategies employed by the NFL in 2018, there was a sustained two-year decrease in concussion incidence.
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