Concussion history predicts long-term health risks in former NFL players better than years played or position, new research suggests.
A study of more than 1,500 former players found that two commonly used ways to estimate head injury risk were not linked to poorer long-term physical or mental health.
Researchers say directly assessing a player’s concussion history (a mild traumatic brain injury) gives a clearer picture of who may face future health problems.
The study was conducted by the Matthew Gfellar Center at UNC-Chapel Hill as part of the multisite NFL-LONG project.
Wesley Cole, co-investigator and first author on the paper, said: “It is often thought that certain positions are at higher risk of sustaining concussion, which may be related to shorter playing careers and worse long-term health outcomes, but that’s not what we found.”
Unlike earlier research, the team analysed years played and position together while also accounting for concussion history, sleep, pain and other health factors.
The findings suggest that future research and potential health guidelines in sport should rely on confirmed concussion history rather than assumptions based on position or years in the league.
J.D. DeFreese, co-investigator and co-author of the paper, said: “When we took concussion history and other health and demographic factors like sleep and pain into account, neither playing position nor years played were linked to poorer long-term mental or physical health outcomes.”
