There’s a brain disease called CTE that’s linked to repeated hits to the head, not just the big concussions but also the smaller impacts that don’t even give you symptoms. The CDC found that kids between the ages of 6 to 14 playing youth tackle football take about 15 times more head impacts than kids playing flag football. Those little hits add up over time.
An NIH-funded study looked at the brains of contact sport athletes who died before they were 30 years old, and more than 40% of them had signs of CTE, found in people as young as 17. These weren’t 50-year-old retired pros. Some of these people were basically my age.
If I tweak my shoulder lifting, it heals, and if I pull a muscle running, it comes back. Your brain doesn’t work like that though. It’s more like a phone screen. One drop might be fine, but every crack adds to the last one, and you can’t un-crack it.
I’m not saying quit sports. But take head injuries seriously and sit out when you’re supposed to Make sure to also wear the right gear. You get exactly one brain for your whole life.
Read more: About Repeated Head Impacts — CDC
