In recent years, the national consciousness has turned to the dangerous nature and prevalence of concussions in football, primarily the NFL. Detailed studies, first-hand accounts from former players, and recent movies, like the Will Smith hit, Concussion, have further hammered home the importance of protecting against the damages brought on by head collisions. These collisions can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE. CTE is a degenerative brain disease found in people who have suffered severe or repeated head trauma. In 2015, researchers at Boston University found CTE in the brains of 87 out of 91 former NFL players who had passed away.
The NFL and the NFL Players Association have recently enacted new measures to better protect players from suffering brain injuries, including assigning league representatives to monitor teams and ensure that they are following the concussion protocol properly. They’ve also created steeper fines for violating the concussion protocol.
However, a new medical discovery may prove critical in determining if a player has suffered a concussion as well as the severity. Researchers from the department of neurochemistry at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Molndal, Sweden, created a blood test that can detect not only if a player has had a concussion and its severity, but can also determine how long it will take the player to recover. They have determined that a protein called total tau (T-tau) is released when the brain is injured. According to their research, large amounts of T-tau can be found in a player’s brain when they’ve been injured. Also, the amount of T-tau discovered in the first hour of the injury can determine how long it will take to recover. This research can help concussions to be detected faster and more thoroughly, giving athletes a better opportunity to recover properly. The research was first reported in the journal JAMA Neurology.
If you are still feeling the lingering effects of a concussion long after your playing days are over, contact the NFL concussion attorneys at McIntyre Thanasides Bringgold Elliott Grimaldi & Guito, P.A. They will have the knowledge and the diligence to help you. Contact them today at 844-5
