Does headering the ball cause brain damage?

[fan_of_mulligan]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p025lk3g

Former West Bromich Albion Striker Jeff Astle died at the age of 59 in 2002, and Jeff Astle's daughter Dawn Astle, is trying to find the link between repetitive blows to the head from headering the ball to Alzheimer's or dementia type symptoms.

So does headering the ball repetitively cause Brian Damage ???

[lidbid46]

A little pedantic I know but 'headering?' I can't let that go unchallenged! Heading the ball is just about ok but please no more 'headering!!' Sorry to be annoying, just a pet hate.

[gillsfan1066]

Yes I think it does some sort of damage , how much I would not like to say.

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

Well heading a ball surely does not do you any good.The ball is quite hard,but not as hard as it was in the 60`s.If you`re a CB then you`re probably heading the ball about 30-40 times a game,if you add that up over 10+ years that is a lot of power hitting your head over a number of years.I think there could be a link to brain damage.

[Garawa]

Sounds like yet another unjustified compensation claim to me. I don't see how it could be. Builders probably get several whacks which is why they wear helmets. Everyone in all walks of life will get them. I probably did at least twice a day which amounts to the same amount during 2 football matches a week. This should all be stopped.

Lol Lidbid about pet hates. I am the same with mis-queue. They all say it and its fine if I'm watching snooker otherwise its a mis-kick! Clue is there, not hard really!

[shoutingman]

Queue? Or Cue?

[Elgrande]

If the anti sport brigade have their way all contact in sport will be stopped. Heading the ball may, in some people cause some damage, but so did going to the pub every day after training! Next it will be body armour in amateur boxing. Tennis balls used in cricket and international tap Rugby!

[gillsfan1066]

Yes I think it does some sort of damage ,but how much I would not like to say.

[CadburyMan]

In principle it is no different to "vibration white knuckle" which is not uncommon to miners or hearing defects caused by prolonged exposure to noise but are these hazards any worse than bar workers being continually exposed to second-hand cigarette fumes ?

We saw sense and banned smoking in such establishments which has had the effect of making them far more inviting and dare I say popular.

[Elgrande]

They seem more popular because hundreds of pubs closed after the smoking ban. When the ban was brought in it was done in such a Draconian way it was ridiculous. Outside areas started to spring up so they then regulated the design of those. Before the ban CAMRA opened 12 no smoking pubs, 10 shut within 6 months because they were empty.
As for the heading thing, I am sure there could be a link to brain damage in some people, but it didn't seem to effect lots of others so it seems that it might be more related to the individual than actual heading.