What to Know About CTE

 Posted on May 15, 2024 in Personal Injury

In recent years, there has been increasing awareness of the dangers that professional athletes face due to the high risk of serious brain injury. The risk is heightened if you play a sport with a higher chance of repeated trauma to the head, like in hockey, wrestling, and football for example. The repeated hits to the head suffered by someone who has been playing a particular sport professionally for several years can lead to the development of what is known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can result in severe disability. If a loved one suffered brain trauma that developed into CTE, speak with a knowledgeable Naperville, IL personal injury attorney with experience in similar cases to understand how to move forward.

What Happens When You Have CTE?

CTE is linked to repeated head trauma, and professional athletes are among the groups with the highest risk of developing it. This disease often gets worse over time and can even lead to dementia. There are four main stages of CTE, with the symptoms associated with these stages generally appearing between eight and ten years after the repetitive brain trauma. The stages are:

• Stage 1: Headaches, dizziness disorientation, and confusion
• Stage 2: Memory loss, impulsivity, social instability, and poor judgment
• Stages 3 and 4: Speech impediments, sensory processing disorder, movement disorders, depression, vertigo, tremors, dementia, and suicidal thoughts.

Unfortunately, there is no way to diagnose CTE during one’s life and no cure for it. There are tests that can be performed to diagnose CTE, but only during an autopsy. This makes the disease even more devastating. Not only is there no way to get better, but there is also nothing to help you or your loved one understand what is happening and why they are acting the way they are.

Preventing CTE

Since there is currently no cure for CTE, focus should be put on prevention. To that end, there have been calls lobbying professional sports associations to change their rules to ensure a higher level of safety for athletes.

Suggestions for making sports safer include:

• Increased use of helmets and mouthguards to help absorb impact.
• Evolved tackling technique rules, as implemented in American football
• Better enforcement of rules
• Improved recognition and treatment for head trauma
• Prohibiting athletes from playing while recovering from head trauma

Schedule a Free Consultation with a DuPage County, IL Personal Injury Attorney

If a loved one suffered in life and was diagnosed with CTE after their death, speak with an experienced Lombard, IL personal injury lawyer. At Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices, we have a combined 175+ years of experience helping fight for our clients’ rights. Call 630-932-9100 to schedule a free case evaluation so we can advise you on how to proceed.