It has long been known that football players experience traumatic injuries throughout their careers. Harvard has offered to complete a health assessment post-career for many football players. Jackie Slater, formerly of the LA Rams, is speaking out on the injuries and suffering many ex-NFL players have experienced. “A lot of people forget about [the players],” when football is not actively playing out in front of them. Some information on the tests and Harvard’s findings:
About the Health Assessment
More than 4,100 former football players have enrolled in the program since 2014. Harvard hopes to “yield insights to improve the health and well-being of former and current players” and to further develop ways to prevent these traumatic injuries. Further, it’s important to note that these findings could help other athletes as well as non-athletes. The NFLPA funds the study, led by former players and their families, along with physicians and scientists. The study suggests that playing football can increase the risks of neurocognitive impairment, cardiovascular disease, among other conditions. 2020 marks the beginning of a new head-to-toe assessment. Players will undergo brain and body imaging, sleep studies, and other medical evaluations.
Reasoning Behind the Assessments
While the effects of helmet-to-helmet on the brain have been a major topic, scientists now want to study the entire body. We can’t simply blame one injury for what a player may endure after 
his career, so it’s important to study different organs and aspects of health. Researchers have already confirmed that “early-life weight gain typical of football players” plays a big part in cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, etc. By studying former players both with and without serious medical issues, scientists have noticed significant patterns. Head trauma is still the most troubling condition because it has increased the possibility of depression as well as suicide rates. One idea of the study is to determine how former players’ health compares to that of men who didn’t play. The study consists of 10 men who didn’t play professional football, 5 healthy, and 5 with similar conditions to the players. Experts explain that even the heart muscles and arteries have been affected in some players. With weight fluctuating by position, organs and cardiovascular muscles are dramatically affected.
Why Now?
Slater says this is important to him because his own son is currently in the NFL. He says he is pleased with the changes the league has made to its concussion protocol. While Slater and his former teammates want to know what’s going on with them, they are happy to help others. He knows nothing can fix what’s happening to former players like himself. The NFL hopes it can lower the risk of traumatic injuries.
Have Health Insurance Questions?
We hope that this information on the football health assessment center is helpful for you.
Insurance is oftentimes overwhelming, and we want to shed light on the industry by answering your questions. Comment below, and your question may be the topic of our next post!
If you liked this article, share it with your friends!
Empower Brokerage wants to help you find the insurance coverage you need and help you save money getting it. Stay on top of your health and give us a call at (844) 410-1320.
Get affordable health insurance quotes by clicking here.
See our other websites: