Brain Injuries May Be Present in Football Players as Young as Eight Years Old
It’s so cute watching little kids wearing big, colorful football helmets, bright jerseys and running around on a field being tagged and sometimes tackled. As harmless as their level of play may look, their young developing brains are being subjected to jarring blows. They are taught early to depend on their gear to protect them from taking hits, but how much protection does that helmet provide? A study shows that children between the ages of 8 and 13 are already at risk of permanent brain injury. The chief of neurology at Wake Forest School of Medicine, Christopher Whitlow, conducted a study of male football players between [...]