Football officials have grown increasingly concerned with the number of players who suffer brain injuries as a result of tackling or being tackled. As recently as the 1980s, football players thought that "headaches" that came from a hard hit were just a normal part of the game. However many of those headaches are now viewed as concussions, and those are injuries that are taken much more seriously at all levels of football.
Concussion
Football players are taught never to use their helmets as a weapon. That's because the hard plastic shell that players wear to protect their heads can be quite damaging when they strike another player. However, while players may not mean to strike with the helmet, when players change direction shortly before a block or a tackle, helmet-to-helmet hits occur regularly. When this happens, this sudden movement can force the brain to shift its position within the skull. This movement can cause a bruise on the brain's surface. This bruise is called a concussion and it can result in pain, headaches, loss of memory and brain functional deficit.
Second-Impact Syndrome
One of the key aspects that football coaches try to get across to their players is that they have to be "tough" and have to play even when they are injured. This philosophy can be very damaging as far as concussions are concerned. Players who take a hit to the head and decide that they are going to keep on playing for the sake of the team may be putting their life at risk. Second-impact syndrome can be fatal when it comes to brain injuries. Once a concussion has been suffered, a player must stop playing and rest. Any additional injury can cause traumatic damage.
Early-Onset Alzheimer's
The NFL commissioned a study on early-onset of Alzheimer's disease by the University of Michigan Medical school showed that former professional football players are being devastated. The study showed that that Alzheimer's disease appears in the league's former players at 19 times the normal rate for men ages 30 through 49. The study also showed that 6.1 percent of players age 50 and older had received a dementia-related diagnosis, five times higher than the national average, 1.2 percent.
Prevention
In addition to avoiding helmet-to-helmet contact whenever possible, players must always wear their mouth guards. Mouth guard cushion the blows and clearly protect teeth, but they also help protect the brain from concussions by absorbing the pressure of many hard hits. Players must also be unfailingly honest when they have suffered any type of blow to the head. They must report it to their trainer and coach immediately and not take on the role of "tough guy" by trying to play through this potentially devastating injury.
Expert Insight
Football teams need to implement a policy preventing players from getting back into the game after suffering a concussion. Dr. Scott Laker of the University of Washington is a strong supporter of proposed laws in several states that would keep football players out of the lineup until they pass baseline tests showing they are recovered from head injuries. "It is almost impossible to prevent the initial concussion, as contact sports always carry a risk," Laker says. "We are trying to put an end to preventable problems when an athlete sustains a second concussion."
