Concussion in football is a subject that has gotten a lot more attention in recent years because of changing attitudes among players, coaches, and the United Kingdom football leagues. Although once considered an acceptable and even expected risk of playing the game, that is no longer the case. New standards have emerged that allow players to better avoid brain injury and to receive more effective treatment when a concussion does occur.
Research and Statistics Have Been Slow to Emerge Regarding Concussion in Football
Many people associated with football in the UK have long suspected that it has a close link to long-term or permanent brain damage. This is especially true for players who have suffered repeated blows to the head and have not received a proper diagnosis or treatment.
The Drake Foundation, a non-profit research group based in the UK, has recently released its findings regarding a link between repeated football concussions and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). The foundation invested more than £2.2 million into research studies that investigated the connection between mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) and poor brain health over the lifespan.
Study #1: Mixed Pathologies Including Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Account for Dementia in Retired Association Football Players
For this study, researchers studied the brains of 14 players who had all retired from football. The study focused on three distinct areas:
- Rates of head injuries in football
- Behavioural changes the retired football players experienced before death
- A post-mortem brain examination of six of the 14 study participants
The foundation was the first of its kind to establish a clear link between CTE and careers in football because of this study.
Study #2: The HEADINGS Study
The Health and Ageing Data IN the Game of Football study was launched in 2018 with the purpose of establishing a connection between repeated football concussions and the later onset of neurogenerative disease. Researchers obtained blood samples, conducted in-person interviews, and conducted a medical exam on every participant. Volunteers were at least 50 years old and had played football at a professional level in the UK. The goal of the study is to pinpoint specific long-term neurological effects such as poor memory, attention, or decision-making skills with concussions in football.
Study #3: The Drake Football Study
The Drake Foundation announced in October 2019 that it would be undertaking the most comprehensive study it had ever conducted examining the link between concussion in football and neurological performance. Vincent Gouttebarge, chief medical officer of the football union FIFPRO, and Gino Kerkhoffs, department chair of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Amsterdam University Medical Centres, are heading up the research.
Together with their teams, Gouttebarge and Kerkhoffs are collecting data regarding the mental, neurocognitive, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal functioning of 200 current and former football players. The researchers intend to follow current players from their playing days well into retirement. Volunteers for this study come from the following countries:
- Finland
- France
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
New Protocols for Treating Concussion in Football
Research conducted by the foundation has been instrumental in spurring football organisations from youth sports to professional leagues to implement changes that minimise the risk of football concussions. For example, players 11 and under can no longer head the ball during practice and those 12 and over will see a gradual introduction to the common football technique.
In July 2021, the Football Association updated its rules to state that players at all levels cannot perform more than 10 higher force ball headings each week during practice. The rule requires coaches to create a profile for each player to ensure that they track headings and abide by the new rules. Additional protocols may come about as the foundation completes more of its studies.
