DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) – Some Texas football teams are starting up practices today and one local brain expert said kids and parents need to be careful.
Doctor Brandon Brock of The Cerebrum Health Center said not every football player will get the brain disease chronic traumatic encepholapathy, commonly known as CTE, but they do need to be on the lookout for symptoms especially considering their age.
“We’re hypothesizing in the scientific community that this stuff is starting earlier than what we think and the longer you go the greater the probability is that you’re going to get a condition,” he said.
Brock said even though there’s a fear when it comes to brain injuries and football, there’s also a positive trend in kids being more aware of symptoms and letting their coaches know, rather than “walking it off” to keep playing.
He said very few high school athletes will make it to the NFL so it’s important for them to consider the risks.
“You want your kids to be able to be an engineer or a business person or doctor or whatever it is, you want them to be able to function at a high level cerebrally because they know they’re not going to be a professional athlete,” he said.
Brock also said parents need to play an integral role in helping their kids weigh the long-term risk if they do get a concussion.
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