Six months off may not be long enough for the brains of football players to completely heal after a single season, putting them at even greater risk of head injury the next season.
“At this point we don’t know the implications, but there is a valid concern that six months of no-contact rest may not be enough for some players,” he said. “And the reality of high school, college and professional athletics is that most players don’t actually rest during the off-season. They continue to train and push themselves and prepare for the next season.”
“What is an adequate rest period? We don’t know. Six months may be enough for some players but not for others,” Bazarian said. “The autoimmune response and inflammation we observed in the blood of players who didn’t recover could be a result of genetics, diet, or other factors, but it was not the result of a concussion, since none of the athletes suffered one.”
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