The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

Historically, concussion has been regarded as a temporary injury after the head receives a jarring blow. Usually it stuns the person and in some cases causes temporary unconsciousness. But it has been an invisible injury which no CT scan or MRI could locate.

Now however, the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) at the Boston University School of Medicine is finding the evidence of concussion in brain tissue. They have been studying brain tissue taken posthumously from football players and finding that concussion is indeed a type of traumatic brain injury.

Concussion Changes in the Brain

Concussion has been found to cause severe brain damage, especially in people who sustain repeated concussions. The name for this damage is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and it is throughout the brain and at a deep level within it. It shows up as brown tangles which are very similar in appearance to the damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

Throbbing headaches are common. The parts of the brain affected control many functions, of which some are:

• Emotions
• Sexuality
• Breathing
• Memory
• Mental acuity
• Energy level
• Sleep disorders
  

These symptoms make it hard to hold a job, maintain a good marriage, and function as a good father.

Not Just Older Players

One of the discoveries which has particularly stunned the CSTE researchers is how early in life the brain damage shows up. About a week ago, they released their study of two documented CTE case: that of former NFL player Tom McHale who died last year at the age of 45; and that of an 18-year-old athlete who had suffered multiple concussions.

The damage in the 45-year-old brain was not so surprising, although researchers were shocked at its resemblance to the 80-year-old brain of an Alzheimer patient. But the damage was also clear in the 18-year-old brain and was identified as the beginnings of CTE.

Besides Tom McHale, CSTE researchers have found CTE damage in the brains of late NFL players:

• John Grimsley – who died from a gunshot wound in the chest
• Andre Waters – who committed suicide in 2006 aged 44
• Mike Webster
• Justin Strzelczyk
• Terry Long
  

Webster, Strzelczyk and Long all died after prolonged depression. McHale was found dead last year, apparently from a drug overdose.

The NFL is now planning its own study of retired NFL players to investigate the long-term effects of concussion.

Severe brain injury is typically sustained in a sudden event such as an auto accident. Now it appears that it may develop gradually with repeated impacts to the head. If you or a loved one have been injured through someone else’s negligence, please contact our personal injury law firm to schedule a free case evaluation.