What is CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy)?
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, better known as CTE, is a progressive, degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive head impacts, including headers.
CTE can begin with mood changes, such as depression or suicidal thoughts, personality changes and behaviour changes, such as aggression and mood swings. As it progresses, the following symptoms can also develop; memory loss, difficulty concentrating, confusion and difficulty moving.
Symptoms of CTE begin gradually (often around 10 years after having repeated head injuries) and may develop over time or stay the same for years before getting worse.
Although the symptoms of CTE are similar to those of dementia, you can only get CTE from repetitive head injuries, and you’re most at risk of developing CTE if you regularly play contact sports such as football.
Repeated hits to the head causes a build-up of an abnormal protein in the brain called Tau. Although there’s no definitive number of head injuries known to cause CTE, many factors play a role in the development of the disease.
There is no known cure for CTE and it can only be diagnosed during an autopsy of the brain after death. This is why it is vital that we educate as many people as possible around the dangers of repetitive head injuries in football.
Did you know?
The modern football weighs the same as the older football but travels faster. The head
impact is as great today as it was in the past.
Myths vs Facts.
Myth.
Football does not cause neurodegenerative disease.
Fact.
Footballers are 3.5 times more likely to die from a neurodegenerative disease than the average person.
Myth.
Old, heavier footballs caused CTE because they weighed more.
Fact.
Footballs have always been the same weight. Today they travel faster and are therefore more dangerous.
Myth.
The risks of developing CTE are the same for men and women.
Fact.
Women are 1.9 times more likely to suffer from concussion than men and take an average 2 days longer to recover. Can we wait for 30 years for the research to ‘catch up’ before we put in place policies to safeguard women against CTE?
Myth.
Correct heading technique will protect me from CTE.
Fact.
The brain shakes within the skull irrespective of the technique you use to head the ball. Therefore technique has no relevance to long term brain health.
Myth.
Heading the ball doesn’t hurt therefore it won’t cause any harm.
Fact.
There is a causal link between Repetitive Head Impacts and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. The more headers you perform over your lifetime the more likely you are to develop a neurodegenerative disease.
Myth.
There is nothing that can be done to make football a safer sport.
Fact.
Reducing exposure to head impacts will mitigate the risk of CTE.
Myth.
Symptomatic concussions are the only and most dangerous type of head injury.
Fact.
A concussion is an injury and with correct treatment and rehabilitation can be recovered from. CTE is an incurable disease caused by the cumulative forces of head impacts over a lifetime therefore repetitive head impacts pose an even greater danger.
Myth.
If someone has never had a concussion they won’t get CTE.
Fact.
CTE is caused by the cumulative forces incurred by receiving repetitive head impacts; these do not need to be symptomatic concussions.
Myth.
There is less heading in the modern game.
Fact.
Statistics show that today there is less heading on match day at the Premiership level but more heading in the lower leagues. Modern players train more frequently and for longer durations, they are subjected to more head impacts than ever before.
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