Researchers identify first case of CTE in a female athlete

[georgina]

My youngest daughter played lacrosse, and while she never had a concussion, many of her teammates did. One friend stopped playing after multiple concussions, some wore a padded helmet. I see this as a growing concern in womens' sports. This may be behind a paywall - https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/07/04/female-athlete-cte-heather-anderson/

Researchers at the Australian Sports Brain Bank (ASBB) on Monday reported the first diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a female athlete. Researchers diagnosed former Australian rules football player Heather Anderson, who died at 28 in November, with the degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head injuries.

“There were multiple CTE lesions as well as abnormalities nearly everywhere I looked in her cortex. It was indistinguishable from the dozens of male cases I’ve seen,” Michael Buckland, director of the ASBB, said. “I want to thank the Anderson family for generously donating Heather’s brain and hope more families follow in their footsteps so we can advance the science to help future athletes.”

“Research shows women have an equal or greater susceptibility to concussion in contact sports, but we don’t yet know what that means for their risk of developing CTE,” Concussion Legacy Foundation co-founder Robert Cantu wrote in a statement. “We urgently need to accelerate research on CTE in women so we can prevent future cases, better understand how CTE impacts their behavior and cognition, and treat those who develop symptoms.”

 

[kdonnel]

There is so much money to be made in professional sports that people will continue to let their kids play knowing they may end up with CTE for the potential payday.

 

[Guest Mode]

There is so much money to be made in professional sports that people will continue to let their kids play knowing they may end up with CTE for the potential payday.

That's unfair. Some of us just really love sports (playing, watching, following). I never had any delusions that my kids were going to get rich.

Edited to add: If I had all the money back that I spent for my kids to play sports, I'd be rich!

 

[dcassetta]

There is so much money to be made in professional sports that people will continue to let their kids play knowing they may end up with CTE for the potential payday.

There is so much money to be made in youth sports, that some people will overlook the possible harm to kids.

I wonder how much WDW makes from hosting all the kids' athletic tournaments.

 

[Guest Mode]

My youngest daughter played lacrosse, and while she never had a concussion, many of her teammates did. One friend stopped playing after multiple concussions, some wore a padded helmet. I see this as a growing concern in womens' sports. This may be behind a paywall - https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/07/04/female-athlete-cte-heather-anderson/

Researchers at the Australian Sports Brain Bank (ASBB) on Monday reported the first diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a female athlete. Researchers diagnosed former Australian rules football player Heather Anderson, who died at 28 in November, with the degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head injuries.

“There were multiple CTE lesions as well as abnormalities nearly everywhere I looked in her cortex. It was indistinguishable from the dozens of male cases I’ve seen,” Michael Buckland, director of the ASBB, said. “I want to thank the Anderson family for generously donating Heather’s brain and hope more families follow in their footsteps so we can advance the science to help future athletes.”

“Research shows women have an equal or greater susceptibility to concussion in contact sports, but we don’t yet know what that means for their risk of developing CTE,” Concussion Legacy Foundation co-founder Robert Cantu wrote in a statement. “We urgently need to accelerate research on CTE in women so we can prevent future cases, better understand how CTE impacts their behavior and cognition, and treat those who develop symptoms.”

A couple of things stand out for me here. Firstly, CTE is much more pervasive than first assumed. It's not just football players that are at risk. It's a risk in virtually all sports. Secondly, here's another situation where considering females is an after thought. Why wouldn't it be "indistinguishable from ... male cases"?

 

[barkley]

the numbers don't lie. per the american academy of orthopedic surgeons regarding high school athletics-



"While the overall number of sports-related injuries is decreasing, the severity of those injuries and the number of head and neck injuries are on the rise, according to a study presented at the 2023 American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) annual meeting...

...We are seeing an increase in head and neck injuries, especially concussions, as well as more severe injuries and those requiring surgery. Many organizations have adopted safety equipment and injury prevention guidelines; it is questionable if they are being applied correctly...

...Additional studies have demonstrated an increase in the number of concussions during high school sports over the past decade. Together, this suggests that play intensity, physical contact and collisions are increasing, potentially counteracting the use of protective head gear".

 

[LuvOrlando]

Was there really a point where people thought women could not get it, like our brains were made so differently that they were concussion proof? That's wacky.

Womens LAX you aren't supposed to hit the head, so the helmets are not great, they should be better.

Hate to say it, but the best pool to find women for researchers to study would probably be women in domestic violence shelters. Most of the women in this group have to live like professional boxers so I'd imagine their brains are every bit as banged up, and there would be tons of evidence for whatever is trying to be proved or revealed in research.

 

[sam_gordon]

...Additional studies have demonstrated an increase in the number of concussions during high school sports over the past decade. Together, this suggests that play intensity, physical contact and collisions are increasing, potentially counteracting the use of protective head gear".

Couldn't it also suggest there are more kids participating in sports? When I was growing up, you had football, baseball, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, track/field, and cross country. Now add in soccer, lacrosse, swimming/diving, field hockey, and who knows what else.

But yes, I do think play intensity is much higher than it was decades ago.

 

[amylevan]

Couldn't it also suggest there are more kids participating in sports? When I was growing up, you had football, baseball, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, track/field, and cross country. Now add in soccer, lacrosse, swimming/diving, field hockey, and who knows what else.

But yes, I do think play intensity is much higher than it was decades ago.

I would also say that there is an increase in concussions over the last decade because we are watching for them. I’ve been coaching for 25 years, and unless an athlete was knocked unconscious, concussions weren’t even suspected at the start of my coaching career. Now, a hit to the head means concussion protocols even if there are no immediate symptoms.

 

[GreatLakes]

Women's combat sports are becoming more popular (MMA, Boxing) and oversees there are some high impact sports women play (Australian Rules Football) so it is inevitable you'll see more CTE in female athletes.

Some sports are making changes at the youth level to try and mitigate head injuries, like soccer not allowing heading the ball under specific ages, but some sports are almost impossible to make much safer while athletes are getting bigger and faster.

 

[sam_gordon]

Women's combat sports are becoming more popular (MMA, Boxing) and oversees there are some high impact sports women play (Australian Rules Football) so it is inevitable you'll see more CTE in female athletes.

Some sports are making changes at the youth level to try and mitigate head injuries, like soccer not allowing heading the ball under specific ages, but some sports are almost impossible to make much safer while athletes are getting bigger and faster.

In addition to athletes getting bigger and faster, I think they're getting more "technical" (sorry, can't think of a better word) on HOW to "properly" hit. So the technique is also better I guess is what I'm trying to say.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Helmets can help protect against fractures and such but they were never meant to protect against concussion. Concussion is a result of the brain suddenly and forcefully moving around inside the head.

See video in this link.

https://completeconcussions.com/con...ets-prevent-concussions-what-you-should-know/

My son played sports. He’s had concussions. He also recently got a concussion on the job. I worry. I talked to his doctors over the years about it and they felt like the good in sports balances out the risk.

I had a concussion myself not too long ago, on the job. It was frightening how I was affected. I lost my excellent vision for a bit, they weren’t even going to let me drive myself home; and I couldn’t pass cognitive testing at the neurologist’s initially - thankfully after healing for several weeks, I could. This past winter I got an arm injury because I was slipping on ice and I put my arm out mid-fall so I wouldn’t hit my head and get another concussion. Arm’s messed up, but I didn’t hit my head.

Most of us are probably walking around post-concussion. I remember falling off a friend’s front porch when I was little. Huge hit to the head. Another time diving in a pool and head hitting the bottom. No one ever thought much of those types of things before. They still happen today. At one point my mom fell and hit her head on the toilet. Huge egg, and bought herself a pacemaker. Not one doctor paid attention to the big concussion she surely had.

I don’t know what the answer is other than trying to be careful. But things happen. I do recommend seeing a neurologist if you can in the setting of concussion. They really understand them the best.