Former soccer player Pat Grange's battle with ALS: Grange never will be confused with the soccer greats -- Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo, Ribery -- who are about to converge on Brazil for the 2014 World Cup, but his impact is felt nonetheless. A high school soccer star in Albuquerque, N.M., Grange played at the collegiate and semi-professional levels. Like many soccer players, throughout his career he often headed the ball. At the age of 28 Grange was diagnosed with ALS — Lou Gehrig's disease — and in 2012, at 29, he died. When researchers examined his brain they found surprising evidence that could have long-term implications for soccer. E:60's Jeremy Schaap chronicles the life and death of Pat Grange, and his unintended legacy to the game he loved.

Not enough money or coverage in this, cheerleading or lax for it to become a major concern. Everyone will continue to lazily compare football to gladiatorial combat.

I'm not surprised. I played soccer throughout my adolescent years. From an early age, whenever I headed the ball, I would get a nosebleed moments later. Under advice from my doctor (and parents), I rarely attempted headers when playing.

I know the youth league run by the county recreation commission here bans headers and I am pretty sure that the various club youth leagues do as well. My cousin's son played in high school and she and her husband insisted that he not do any headers (her husband played DIII soccer in college)

Concussions are a major problem in soccer - concussions happen in women's soccer at a rate only surpassed by football and men's hockey


Banning headers would cut that rate dramatically.

The problem is heading a ball for a goal is one of the greates joys of soccer. Corner kicks would be totally different as well.

This might be a stupid question but has a connection been made between CTE and ALS?

(03-23-2015 04:13 PM)bullitt_60 Wrote:  This might be a stupid question but has a connection been made between CTE and ALS?

Good question... I don't know that it has...

(03-23-2015 04:17 PM)No Bull Wrote:  

(03-23-2015 04:13 PM)bullitt_60 Wrote:  This might be a stupid question but has a connection been made between CTE and ALS?

Good question... I don't know that it has...

CTE is the result of brain damage, while ALS is an autoimmune disease. CTE shows as scar tissue on the brain from repeated head traumas.

ALS happens when the immune system goes haywire and starts attacking the central nervous system, including the brain. It's very similar to MS in that respect, although ALS is more severe than MS, since it's a steadily progressive disease. MS is a relapsing and remitting disease, and isn't quite as virulent as ALS. But both destroy a person's central nervous system, preventing nerve impulses from being transmitted, and lead to an early death.

(03-23-2015 05:23 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(03-23-2015 04:17 PM)No Bull Wrote:  

(03-23-2015 04:13 PM)bullitt_60 Wrote:  This might be a stupid question but has a connection been made between CTE and ALS?

Good question... I don't know that it has...

CTE is the result of brain damage, while ALS is an autoimmune disease. CTE shows as scar tissue on the brain from repeated head traumas.

ALS happens when the immune system goes haywire and starts attacking the central nervous system, including the brain. It's very similar to MS in that respect, although ALS is more severe than MS, since it's a steadily progressive disease. MS is a relapsing and remitting disease, and isn't quite as virulent as ALS. But both destroy a person's central nervous system, preventing nerve impulses from being transmitted, and lead to an early death.

I believe both have been linked to brain injury. Lou Gehrig was severely beaned playing baseball...maybe several times..

Here's a recent review in Clinical Epidemiology:

http://www.dovepress.com/risk-factors-fo...ticle-CLEP

Here's the section on sports related factors:

Athleticism, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and physical exercise

Historically, the most famous ALS patient was Lou Gehrig, the renowned US baseball player. Several studies have demonstrated increased risk of ALS among football or soccer players,111–114 other athletes,115 and individuals who engage in vigorous physical activity,116 but inconsistent results have also been reported.117–120 Strenuous physical activity, repeated head injuries, use of illicit performance-enhancing drugs, or chemicals used to treat football fields have all been discussed as potential explanations for such risk elevations.111,121 Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a newly defined neurodegenerative disease, often resulting from repeated head injuries, has been proposed as the underlying reason or the “correct” diagnosis for ALS cases observed among professional athletes and perhaps also among military veterans.122 Different levels of physical exercise (professional versus recreational) may have very different biological effects on neurodegeneration. This is in line with previous findings of an increased risk of ALS among professional football players,111–114 although not among high school players.119 Similarly, a large European case-control study showed a 51% lower risk of ALS for organized sport, but a 59% higher risk of ALS for professional sport.123 Further efforts to disentangle the different exposure patterns involved in professional sports as compared with recreational sports will be needed to better understand these findings. Although the hypothesis that athleticism contributes to ALS is intriguing, caution should be exercised in interpreting these findings, given the fact that the vast majority are based on small numbers of ALS cases.

Here's the section on head trauma in general:

Head trauma

Early case-control studies reported a significant association between history of head trauma and ALS.184 Aiming to rule out the possibilities of recall bias and reverse causality (ie, trauma as a result, rather than a cause, of ALS), later studies generally used more objective assessment of head trauma history and excluded traumas experienced during the years immediately before the diagnosis of ALS.185,186 Severe head traumas that were hospitalized were not associated with a higher risk of ALS in Sweden.186 A possible association of ALS with milder head traumas, perhaps specifically with repeatedly experienced mild traumas, has not been thoroughly addressed.

Reading the whole article, I think it is safe to say that the jury is out on most of the non-genetic risk factors for ALS

Headers will never be banned. I would see some type of head protection being instituted before the action of banning headers would ever happen.

It is a world game, which makes enforcement next to impossible. That allows for a competing league in a neighboring country to not go along with such an action and thus gain a major advantage over the competition.

Some type of headgear, similar to what wrestlers wear but with added padding in the locations where the ball usually makes contact with the head is a much more likely solution, in my opinion.

(03-24-2015 10:11 AM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  Here's a recent review in Clinical Epidemiology:

http://www.dovepress.com/risk-factors-fo...ticle-CLEP

Here's the section on sports related factors:

Athleticism, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and physical exercise

Historically, the most famous ALS patient was Lou Gehrig, the renowned US baseball player. Several studies have demonstrated increased risk of ALS among football or soccer players,111–114 other athletes,115 and individuals who engage in vigorous physical activity,116 but inconsistent results have also been reported.117–120 Strenuous physical activity, repeated head injuries, use of illicit performance-enhancing drugs, or chemicals used to treat football fields have all been discussed as potential explanations for such risk elevations.111,121 Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a newly defined neurodegenerative disease, often resulting from repeated head injuries, has been proposed as the underlying reason or the “correct” diagnosis for ALS cases observed among professional athletes and perhaps also among military veterans.122 Different levels of physical exercise (professional versus recreational) may have very different biological effects on neurodegeneration. This is in line with previous findings of an increased risk of ALS among professional football players,111–114 although not among high school players.119 Similarly, a large European case-control study showed a 51% lower risk of ALS for organized sport, but a 59% higher risk of ALS for professional sport.123 Further efforts to disentangle the different exposure patterns involved in professional sports as compared with recreational sports will be needed to better understand these findings. Although the hypothesis that athleticism contributes to ALS is intriguing, caution should be exercised in interpreting these findings, given the fact that the vast majority are based on small numbers of ALS cases.

Here's the section on head trauma in general:

Head trauma

Early case-control studies reported a significant association between history of head trauma and ALS.184 Aiming to rule out the possibilities of recall bias and reverse causality (ie, trauma as a result, rather than a cause, of ALS), later studies generally used more objective assessment of head trauma history and excluded traumas experienced during the years immediately before the diagnosis of ALS.185,186 Severe head traumas that were hospitalized were not associated with a higher risk of ALS in Sweden.186 A possible association of ALS with milder head traumas, perhaps specifically with repeatedly experienced mild traumas, has not been thoroughly addressed.

Reading the whole article, I think it is safe to say that the jury is out on most of the non-genetic risk factors for ALS

Thanks for posting.

(03-24-2015 10:33 AM)No Bull Wrote:  

(03-24-2015 10:11 AM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  Here's a recent review in Clinical Epidemiology:

http://www.dovepress.com/risk-factors-fo...ticle-CLEP

Here's the section on sports related factors:

Athleticism, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and physical exercise

Historically, the most famous ALS patient was Lou Gehrig, the renowned US baseball player. Several studies have demonstrated increased risk of ALS among football or soccer players,111–114 other athletes,115 and individuals who engage in vigorous physical activity,116 but inconsistent results have also been reported.117–120 Strenuous physical activity, repeated head injuries, use of illicit performance-enhancing drugs, or chemicals used to treat football fields have all been discussed as potential explanations for such risk elevations.111,121 Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a newly defined neurodegenerative disease, often resulting from repeated head injuries, has been proposed as the underlying reason or the “correct” diagnosis for ALS cases observed among professional athletes and perhaps also among military veterans.122 Different levels of physical exercise (professional versus recreational) may have very different biological effects on neurodegeneration. This is in line with previous findings of an increased risk of ALS among professional football players,111–114 although not among high school players.119 Similarly, a large European case-control study showed a 51% lower risk of ALS for organized sport, but a 59% higher risk of ALS for professional sport.123 Further efforts to disentangle the different exposure patterns involved in professional sports as compared with recreational sports will be needed to better understand these findings. Although the hypothesis that athleticism contributes to ALS is intriguing, caution should be exercised in interpreting these findings, given the fact that the vast majority are based on small numbers of ALS cases.

Here's the section on head trauma in general:

Head trauma

Early case-control studies reported a significant association between history of head trauma and ALS.184 Aiming to rule out the possibilities of recall bias and reverse causality (ie, trauma as a result, rather than a cause, of ALS), later studies generally used more objective assessment of head trauma history and excluded traumas experienced during the years immediately before the diagnosis of ALS.185,186 Severe head traumas that were hospitalized were not associated with a higher risk of ALS in Sweden.186 A possible association of ALS with milder head traumas, perhaps specifically with repeatedly experienced mild traumas, has not been thoroughly addressed.

Reading the whole article, I think it is safe to say that the jury is out on most of the non-genetic risk factors for ALS

Thanks for posting.

We know almost nothing about the brain and central nervous system, and are just now scratching the surface in the search for knowledge.

I'm posthumously donating my brain to BU's CTE study for that reason. The wife is part of a study on the effectiveness of a new treatment for MS for the same reason. Eventually such actions will pay off for somebody.

(03-24-2015 10:19 AM)He1nousOne Wrote:  Headers will never be banned. I would see some type of head protection being instituted before the action of banning headers would ever happen.

Some type of headgear, similar to what wrestlers wear but with added padding in the locations where the ball usually makes contact with the head is a much more likely solution, in my opinion.

This.. i could see Rugby style leather helmets going on before they'd even consider this.

Make all sucker players where rugby scrum caps, lessen the amount of force reaching the skull.

(03-25-2015 11:25 AM)DaSaintFan Wrote:  

(03-24-2015 10:19 AM)He1nousOne Wrote:  Headers will never be banned. I would see some type of head protection being instituted before the action of banning headers would ever happen.

Some type of headgear, similar to what wrestlers wear but with added padding in the locations where the ball usually makes contact with the head is a much more likely solution, in my opinion.

This.. i could see Rugby style leather helmets going on before they'd even consider this.

Leather? Dude, we havent used leather in a long time...