Heading In Football. Ban It? Shocking Truth Of Repetitive Head Trauma In Sport.

Hello everybody and welcome, welcome welcome to the health and sport show. My name is Tom Butterfield and I’m your host….   On 11th November 2002, coroner Andrew Haigh recorded a verdict of "death by industrial disease”. At the time it was groundbreaking, the first time this ruling had ever occurred in the UK… because it regarded a professional sportsperson….. an ex international footballer, Jeff Astle.    It was the tireless, dedicated work by his family and loved ones who managed to break through seemingly impenetrable barriers and pave the way for other families to claim compensation, and the most recent FA decision to ban heading in those under the age of 12 years old.    Derek Robson, the consultant neuro-pathologist at the Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, told the inquest Astle was suffering from a brain condition which was likely to have been exacerbated by heading leather footballs. Much heavier than those used by professional players today.    I remember my Grandad saying that you tried not to header the ball between November and March because it was like heading a cannonball!! The water would make the ball heavier, and add some ice and I don’t think his analogy would have been far from the truth.    The neuro-pathologist went on to say…and I quote: "I found there was considerable evidence of trauma to the brain similar to that of a boxer. "It is quite probable that it was heading a heavy football that caused it.”   I played football from the age of…….. when I could stand….. which was about 10 months of age. Always had a ball with me everywhere I went. I remember my Dad rolling me the ball, I’d kick it back…. Rolling the ball, I’d kick it back…… I’d try and kick it really hard to get a look of surprise and a puff of the cheeks from him.    I remember being taught how to head the ball at training, and if you caught it on the top of your head it would ache and throb for a good minute after. There’s nothing quite like timing a header and feeling it fly off your forehead like a rocket…. But now I regret every single one of them.  I’m fearful that the thousands of impacts to my head will accumulate to hasten the onset of cruel neurological diseases such as dementia.    I’m fully in favour of the FA decision and I hope that all governing bodies take the same stance. I would be in favour of taking heading out of the game entirely at all levels, but I understand that seismic shifts like that make people feel very uneasy…… perhaps the FA trial is the first step in the journey.    I cringe whenever I see a young player head the ball, just as I would if I saw a young boxer receive a heavy right hand…… all I can vision is the brain being shaken within the hard protective skull.    Interestingly there are virtual reality programs ready for release that will try and teach children to header a football, without having to header a football. Keep your eyes open for them.    I know there will be people out there who will be saying this is another example of ‘snowflake’ culture, but I disagree strongly. This is a huge decision to take, to fundamentally change the most played game on the planet……   Will it ultimately change the type of player we see excelling on the pitch? Will we find the typical tall strong centre half become redundant? Will the game become more technical? Or will the long ball become more effective and more difficult to defend?    I think we’re on the edge of an extremely exciting time for football, one that requires change in order to reduce the risk of our children and grandchildren becoming unable to live a full healthy and happy life due to the sport that they once loved playing, totally unaware that it could slowly take away everything precious to them.    Would Jeff Astle have given back everything he achieved in a glittering football career in order to live that full healthy life…… we’ll never know. But nobody should have the quality and quantity of their life reduced by their occupation.    Look at Rugby World Cup Winner Steve Thompson, who played hooker for England. He’s publicly stated that he wishes he’d never played rugby due to the health issues he’s experiencing due to repeated head injuries and concussions.    It’s not just rugby and football of course….the NFL has also taken a close look at the condition known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. A diagnosis that can only be made once the person is deceased. There have been several cases where ex-NFL and College level American football players have taken their own lives due to the unbearable symptoms they suffer………..they chose a way to end their life that would not hinder the researchers from studying their brain in order to gain greater understanding of head trauma and sport.    Would you want your children to have to make that choice?     I’m going to dedicate the next few episodes to head injuries and concussion in sport. If you have any views on this subject id love to hear them. If you’re an expert in the field and you’d like to share your expertise with the audience then contact us on [email protected]. Share the episode, review it and subscribe etc.    Take care and I’ll see you in the next episode.    https://youtube.com/channel/UCQXAka99a6MdZexeEJaMZbA https://m.facebook.com/elevatehealthuk https://www.elevatehealthuk.com/ https://instagram.com/elevate_healthuk?utm_medium=copy_link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRB6hF2zauI - How Chiropractic Works.    ABOUT THE HOST TOM BUTTERFIELD I have always been interested in sports, unfortunately injuries and poor training decisions curtailed my dream of becoming a professional football player. I have always been very passionate about helping people and I get a real kick out of seeing people improve and make progress towards a chosen goal or aspiration. I have been actively learning and implementing knowledge for over 20 years with the aim of improving the level of service I can offer to my clients. This has included formal qualifications such as: BSc (Hons) in Sports Sciences Masters in chiropractic PGDip in Diagnostic Medical (Musculoskeletal) Ultrasonography 15 years clinical experience helping tens of thousands of members of the public to improve their health and wellbeing. Unofficially I have digested countless information in the form of audiobooks, books, videos, seminars, and countless conversations with experts within the health and wellbeing niche. I aim for at least one hour a day. The day I stop learning is the day I pack up my stuff and go home.   CONTACT METHOD https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-butterfield-801ba515/ https://www.elevatehealthuk.com/ [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.