Chronic traumatic encephalopathy: Safety and prevention in sports

Dr. Matthew Boente MD, though an expert in ovarian cancer, is also interested in chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE. In fact, one of his goals in starting this series of blogs is to share vital information about this neurodegenerative disease so readers may be more well-informed about the matter.

Physicians and researchers have found that sports plays a huge role in the occurrence of CTE, especially those where athletes sustain numerous high-impact collisions to the head. And while the prevention of CTE in sports may not be full-proof yet, there are some methods and techniques that have been developed to help lessen the occurrence of the disease.

For instance, safety gear for the head such as helmets have proven to lessen direct head trauma and the force of impact from a collision, Dr. Matthew Boente MD points out.

For a more sophisticated and in-depth approach in athlete’s safety, the methods of recognition and treatment of concussion and head trauma have improved over the years. This has long been thought to play a significant factor in decreasing the chances of CTE, a disease that is believed to be caused by repeated head trauma, among other factors.

However, Dr. Matthew Boente MD notes that a number of CTE experts in the medical community have gone to the extremes. Some of them have petitioned many contact sports to change their rules, while other experts and healthcare professionals have requested to ban full-contact sports such as boxing altogether.

Dr. Matthew Boente MD is an ovarian cancer expert who is also interested in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In his free time, he likes watching the Minnesota Wilds. For more reads on ovarian cancer, visit this page.