Dementia in football

[fenman]

6 months off the site now I can't keep off it .

As several posters have said on here with no football  being played  , we have to keep the forum going with some sort of debate . 

The FA are getting flack for not doing anything about dementia in ex footballers . Chris Sutton has made many comments about it and the recent deaths of Norbert Stiles , Martin Peters etc. etc. and the fact that Bobby Charlton has been diagnosed with it has promoted more discussion . 

My question is  .......... is the fact that they headed the ball a contributing factor ? If this is the case why are there few cases of boxers getting it ? . Almost all of my mothers side of the family suffered from it along with many other people I have known , it's a terrible illness and its terrible to see loved ones in that condition and remember what they used to be like . None of these  people played football . Statistically from the amount of ex professional  footballers  who played in the last 50 years there must be a small percentage who would have contracted the disease anyway . The very fact that they were famous players has ,  I think , started the belief that heading the ball is responsible .Without question   the weight of the leather ball  , when wet , used in Older's days as a player  must have caused a mild concussion if headed several times during a game but was it enough to cause the disease years later . 4 ex colleagues of mine all succumbed to an equally horrible illness ,  motor nureone , co incidentally they all played rugby . Was this a contributory factor ?

Please don't form the opinion that I'm deriding the subject , far from it , having seen my mother , aunts and uncles all succumb to dementia along with many other people suffer with I sympathise with their families . The  point of the post  is to start some sort of topical football related discussion on the forum .

 

 

[Ian Pethick]

 

Read a piece by Tony Cascarino in The Times last week. He said how, at the age of 58, he is starting to have trouble getting words out and putting sentences together.

In his own words, "I know dementia is coming for me, and I want answers."

[Bruegel the Elder]

There is no doubt that brain trauma is a precursor of dementias (definitely in the case of vascular dementia, the jury is still out on the other types, but it would clearly be a contributing factor). Even a single head injury event can be enough to to increase the risk considerably, repeated lesser impacts, as in the case of (particularly old style, laced) footballs or boxing gloves will multiply that risk. 
The evidence is so clear that even the F.A. (not known for their speedy reaction to anything) have banned heading in some age-range groups of youth and children’s football. I believe that there is also some research on the use of headwear, similar to scrum caps, to reduce the risk, however I am unaware of any conclusions. My advice; play in goal, you can use your hands to protect your head!

[fenman]

B . Manning commented on this post but I can't see what he said . By a strange coincidence I mentioned that almost all of my mothers side of my family , brothers , sisters cousins , etc. etc . succumbed to the illness , they were all Mannings . Are we related ?. If and when you respond B.Manning s . I'll wipe this comment off