A Serious and Evolving Concern
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative condition associated with repetitive head impacts, has become a significant concern in contact sports after research identified the condition in the brains of deceased athletes with histories of repeated head trauma, prompting serious reconsideration of safety practices across football, hockey, boxing, and other contact sports at all levels of play.
What Research Has Established
Post-mortem studies have found CTE pathology in a substantial proportion of examined brains from athletes with extensive histories of repetitive head impacts, and repetitive subconcussive impacts — hits that do not cause diagnosed concussion but still involve head trauma — are increasingly recognized as potentially significant, not just clinically diagnosed concussions alone, broadening concern beyond counting concussion diagnoses.
Important Remaining Uncertainties
Despite this concerning association, CTE currently cannot be definitively diagnosed in living people, only confirmed through post-mortem brain examination, which significantly limits research into risk factors, prevalence in the broader athlete population, and effective interventions during life. The relationship between specific exposure levels and CTE risk, and why some individuals with extensive head impact exposure develop the condition while others do not, remain active areas of necessary research. Facilities can source diagnostic equipment and orthopedic and rehab supplies from our catalog.
