Another football player gets Parkinson's ... - Cure Parkinson's
Another football player gets Parkinson's and Alzheimer's
We hear about the professional athletes and the consequences of their activities as adults. They didn’t start to play these games as adults. I played football from ages 12-18 at a fairly competitive level, offensive guard and defensive linebacker. In those days, we played both ways, approximately 50 plays a game. I was a small, but effective lineman: third string all city in Washington DC, 165 lbs. versus average lineman weight of 200 lbs.
Concussions are not the only issue. I never had a diagnosed concussion, but I did have my "bell rung" several times each season. In addition, there was a deceleration trauma on my young brain, associated with every block and tackle. When two players collide in a block or tackle, without one overwhelming the other, they must decelerate from their collision velocities to zero approximately instantaneously. From the momentum equation, I compute that at my lighter weight, my contact velocity and ensuing deceleration forces on my young brain, must have been approximately 10% greater than that of the typical player that I faced. I and my doctor at Mayo Clinic both believe that the repeated sub-concussion traumas to my young brain are likely related to my PD.
It's not just football. Many parents encourage soccer instead of football. What is the consequence of repeated "headers" on young brains? Competitive leagues often lead to training and incentive to have younger players compete at more intense levels. While brain injuries to profession athletes is an important issue in its own right, more important is the broader impacts of athletic activities on young brains.
