Possible Connection Between ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and Head Injuries

North Carolina (NC) Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers
Attorneys Licensed in NC and South Carolina (SC) with Office in Elizabeth City, NC   

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and have experience handling traumatic brain injury and closed head injuries. In fact, our firm in 2000 helped a brain-damaged client receive what was then the largest verdict for a brain injury case in Virginia history. 

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008 and and we have been named a North Carolina "Best Law Firm" for personal injury law since 2010 by U.S. News & World Report. In addition, Rick and Jim have been listed in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009 and our firm has the highest rating of AV from national lawyer ranking organization Martindale-Hubbell. That means we have a reputation for demonstrating preeminent legal skill.

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A new study regarding ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and head injuries has some surprising findings – and finding that may be especially interesting for those who play contact sports or those who have suffered multiple brain injuries throughout their lives.

Dr. Anne McKee, a scientist who studies brain and who is partially funded by the NFL, has released findings that many athletes who suffer from ALS and Lou Gehrig’s disease may get the illness because of their years on the playing field. After studying the brains and spinal cords of several fallen athletes who died of the disease, McKee has announced that toxic proteins, which are usually found in the brains of those with head trauma, were found in the spinal cords of those who suffered from ALS. The idea that head injuries and traumatic brain injuries cause ALS explains two mysteries: why more and more people are being diagnosed with the disease and why many of those diagnosed with ALS are professional athletes including football players, boxers, soccer players, and baseball players.

ALS is a somewhat rare disease that attacks a person’s central nervous system. Over time, a person with Lou Gehrig’s disease will lose their ability to use their muscles and move normally. As the disease progresses, patients will lose the ability to walk, to talk, and ultimately, to breathe.

While McKee found the toxic proteins in the spines of three athletes who died of ALS, she did not find them in the spinal cords of other patients who had died of the disease and were not athletes. This suggests that doctors may be dealing with two very similar conditions that have different causes.



Elizabeth City, NC Personal Injury Attorneys
North Carolina (NC) Personal Injury Lawyers
Specializing in North Carolina Wrongful Death & Injury Law