Brain Altering Diseases In Sports

Throughout the years in sports, many athletes have come down with and are still continuing to be diagnosed with brain altering diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. These life altering diseases are now known to originate from minor concussions over time. Over the years, these diseases have become greatly known in the sports industry and to its audience. Since professionals now know what these contact sports can cause they are making changes to the uniforms and rules for some sports. Despite this, some fans of these sports are upset with the changes because they believe these new rules are changing the sport. The other half believe contact sports should overall be changed to provide safety to the athletes. However, since these neurodegenerative diseases are now widely known, …show more content…
This progressive disease targets the brain and the spinal cord causing the nerve cells in the spinal cord to slowly lose function. This is due to toxic proteins being released from the brain, which seap into the spinal cord, poisoning motor neurons. There are two types of ALS, Familial and Sporadic. Sporadic ALS is caused be a re-occuring head trauma, and is the most common type of ALS affecting 90-95% of patients. Familial ALS is hereditary, and only affects about 5-10% of those diagnosed. In the beginning stages of this disease, patients begin to lose strength in their arms and legs. Eventually causing twitching and loss of performing daily functions. As this condition advances, those affected will ultimately lose the ability to breathe and move on their own, leaving them completely paralyzed. On average, a person with ALS lives approximately three years with the help of certain tools. To this day, there are numerous electronic components designed to help those suffering from this disease live an easier