BioQuakes

AP Biology class blog for discussing current research in Biology

The Rise of NFL Brain Injuries and Possible Solutions

tackling leading to brain injuries

tackling leading to brain injuries

Brain-injury treatment program that was created for military veterans hurt on the battlefield has now been updated to include professional athletes. Eisenhower Center’s representatives announced that it will be the main facility used by the NFL Players Association to treat brain and neurological issues. This will be facilitated through the After the Impact program.

Residential neuro-rehab facility is located in Ann Arbor. The program has intense treatment for athletes recovering from concussions, mild traumatic brain injury, or PTSD. It came from Eisenhower Center’s transitional treatment program to serve military soldiers dealing with brain injuries.

The NFL expects 28% of retired players to suffer Alzheimer’s or moderate dementia; this has caused former players to sue. About a third of all retired NFL players will suffer long-term cognitive problems and the After the Impact program has helped some reach the path to recovery.

NFL provoked a judge to approve a $1 billion settlement of concussion lawsuits ignoring concerns raised by former players. The 65-year fund will resolve thousands of lawsuits on the NFL, accusing them of hiding their knowledge of concussions and brain injuries in an attempt to keep players.

I picked this topic because I watch football every weekend and have wondered about the impact of the hitting on the players. It is nice to see that there have been efforts made to fix this.

Sources: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/16/braininjury-program-worki_n_6337018.html?utm_hp_ref=brain

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11905362/nfl-urges-judge-approve-estimated-1-billion-settlement-concussion-lawsuits

http://www.eisenhowercenter.com/neurobehavioral

 

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2 Comments

  1. herarst

    Good article. When you play football there’s always going to be a chance for you to get injured but nothings worse than a brain injury. I was surprised that roughly 28% of former players suffer from Alzheimer’s or moderate dementia. Former players are now even donating their brains to science and research in order to figure out what the issue is. (http://www.northeastern.edu/nuwriting/solving-footballs-concussion-problem/). Recent studies show cases of CTE in the players.

  2. camouflage

    Wow, izotope, this is a very interesting article! I have always wondered myself what happens to the players. I think it is really good that this brain-injury treatment program is adding NFL players to their focus list. According to the NYT, (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/13/sports/football/actuarial-reports-in-nfl-concussion-deal-are-released.html?_r=0), players who file a claim and have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or advanced dementia may receive up to 800 million dollars! Also, this article discusses how some players are accepting settlements, and how others are still fighting the NFL for the damage done to themselves, or their families.

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