Pratham Chhabra

The Complications of Concussions: A Comprehensive Study and Solution to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (C.T.E.) in American Football

Started Sept. 29, 2021

Abstract or project description

Every year, 300,000 American Football players experience traumatic and life-threatening brain injuries. Inherently a violent sport, football is known for its constant savage tackles and brutal helmet-to-helmet collisions. As such, numerous concussions experienced by these high-performance athletes go undetected or are not properly addressed by medical officials, threatening to induce Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) later in their lives. CTE, a form of brain degeneration, is caused by repeated brain traumas or head injuries such as concussions. Despite the use of helmets, due to repeated impact, CTE is quite prevalent among the sport’s most idolized stars. The National Library of Medicine explains that CTE causes a progressive decline in memory and cognition and contributes to depression, suicidal behavior, poor impulse control, and eventual risk for other diseases such as Parkinson’s and dementia. Many of these complications stem from unsolicited or “dirty” hits, inadequate safety training, or even ineffective gear. According to the CDC, today's helmets are not even designed to prevent concussions! In fact, experts explain that the average football tackle or “hit” exerts 103 g forces of strength while just 95 g forces can cause a concussion! By developing a helmet specifically designed to eliminate concussions and conducting analysis on recurring concussion data patterns, the risk of brain diseases such as C.T.E. in these high-performance athletes is sure to decrease dramatically.