Nor is the problem solely linked to football. In boxing, the disease was formerly called dementia pugilistica, more commonly “punch drunk,” and was linked to the repeated blows to the head sustained in boxing. Other contact sports, including hockey, professional wrestling, basketball and even baseball have concussion cases, and although some are less dangerous than others, any repeated blow to the head can cause problems.

Concussions on the Rise

Concussion rates have been rising over the past two decades, a disturbing growth pattern. Some claim it’s because detection methods have increased, but others claim it is because athletes, like society in general, are bigger, stronger and faster, able to deliver much more lethal contact than previous generations. It’s a particular issue in football, which has caused many parents to worry about allowing their kids to participate in the sport at young ages, worrying about the long-term effects of head trauma sustained at a young age.

The condition is not confined to men. In fact, women tend to report higher concussion rates than men. A government survey determined that high school athletes who sustained concussions derived them by participating in football, followed by girls' soccer, boys' soccer and girls' basketball. Studies have shown cognitive impairment rates in women is more frequent than in men, a situation that may be attributed to biomechanical differences in body mass, head mass and neck strength, as well as the cultural differences, in which men are reluctant to report injuries. Physiological differences, including hormones, also may play a role.

There are differences in managing concussions at different ages. Research has shown high school-aged athletes have a longer recovery time than college or professional athletes, may have greater symptom severity and more neurological disturbances as measured by tests. An estimated 53 percent of high school athletes have already sustained a concussion before participation in high school sports, and 36 percent of college athletes already have sustained multiple concussions. Because the brain’s frontal lobes develop up to age 25, repeated concussions and brain damage at earlier ages can have far greater impact than those sustained later in life.