Chris Nowinski, Ph.D.
@ChrisNowinski1 • 62,158 subscribers
Founding CEO @ConcussionCTEfn, neuroscientist, author, speaker, former @WWE Superstar. Fighting to End CTE & for concussion safety without compromise.
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When I initially posted on Anthony Stolarz I didn't know they initially left him in for more than two minutes until he started vomiting on the bench. We need to do better. PSA: If you vomit multiple times after a brain injury, get to the emergency room.
Chris Nowinski, Ph.D.4,693,926 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
Update: Anthony Stolarz likely suffered a first #comcussion 5 minutes into the game when he took a puck to face that knocked his mask off. 25 seconds after the hit he did a SHAAKE (Spontaneous Headshake after a Kinematic Event) which predicts concussion 72% of the time.
Chris Nowinski, Ph.D.4,151,644 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
Tua suffered a traumatic brain injury on this play, no question. His right arm shows the "fencing posture" indicating loss of consciousness & is on the severe end on the #concussion spectrum. He is done for the night and must miss the next game.
Chris Nowinski, Ph.D.5,921,746 Aufrufe • vor 2 Jahren
‼️ Stop Hitting Kids in the Head ‼️ And no, I don’t mean stop kids from playing sports. I mean stop putting young athletes in situations where repeated hits to the head are treated as part of the game - and therefore are at risk of getting CTE. Sports give kids so much: teammates, confidence, discipline, fitness, competition, and joy. I want kids to have all of that. But we can give them those benefits without making head impacts part of the experience. Flag football instead of tackle football. Soccer without heading. Hockey without checking. These aren’t anti-sports choices. They’re ways to reduce exposure to repetitive head impacts while keeping kids in the game. Research continues to show that long-term exposure to repetitive head impacts cause CTE, reducing that exposure is a vital step in CTE prevention. So when I say Stop Hitting Kids in the Head, I’m not saying take sports away from kids. I’m saying change the rules so they can play without getting CTE.
Chris Nowinski, Ph.D.25,475 Aufrufe • vor 10 Tagen
Prayers for Mike Evans after this #concussion & shoulder injury. Worth listening to the broadcasters strain to avoid suggesting a possible concussion. Gentlemen. hamstring & shoulder injuries don't make you lie COMPLETELY still like you are unconscious...
Chris Nowinski, Ph.D.681,494 Aufrufe • vor 11 Monaten
If you've watched football this season, you've probably seen the new State Farm ad with Giants RB Cam Skattebo. It shows him repeatedly smashing his head into things during his daily life off the field. This comes after his comment earlier this year that “CTE isn’t real; it’s an excuse.” For the families I speak with every day, CTE is no laughing matter. CTE is a real, progressive brain disease associated with repetitive head impacts. It can profoundly affect a person’s cognition, behavior, mood, and quality of life, and its consequences extend far beyond the individual diagnosed. For these families, there is nothing funny about the devastating toll of CTE.
Chris Nowinski, Ph.D.12,537 Aufrufe • vor 17 Tagen
FIFA archaic #concussion policies on display here. No subs for a real concussion eval, so players get whatever the hell this is after being given minutes on the ground to let potential symptoms lessen. Also impressive how FIFA got Fox not to offer one replay of the head clash.
Chris Nowinski, Ph.D.56,710 Aufrufe • vor 3 Monaten
What happened to Old Dominion QB Quinn Henicle during Wednesday's bowl game is unacceptable. Henicle showed multiple unambiguous signs of concussion — yet he returned to play just MINUTES later. He appeared to be unconscious, but even if he wasn't, a five minute rushed sideline assessment cannot reliably rule out a concussion. Even though some college football players are now paid, they still deserve ethical medical care. Yet it doesn't seem like anyone cares in college football leadership. How do we fix this problem?
Chris Nowinski, Ph.D.99,255 Aufrufe • vor 9 Monaten
Today we announced, on behalf of the Kneeland family, that former Dallas Cowboys DE Marshawn Kneeland has been diagnosed with stage 1 CTE by our research collaborators at Boston University CTE Center. Kneeland died by suicide in November 2025 at 24 years old. Despite playing in the modern era of concussion protocols and better helmets, he still developed CTE. What that tells me is we have no reason to believe the current generation is at a lower risk of CTE than previous generations. Concussion protocols do not prevent CTE, because CTE is caused by repeated head impacts, not just concussions. If we want to reduce CTE risk, we must implement CTE prevention protocols and aggressively reduce the number and strength of head impacts at every level of the game. Suicide is complex and multifactorial. A post-mortem CTE diagnosis should not be considered the cause of a suicide and is not known to be a risk factor for suicide. We encourage anyone worried about suspected CTE symptoms to reach out to he Concussion & CTE Foundation HelpLine team for support at If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988.
Chris Nowinski, Ph.D.33,654 Aufrufe • vor 3 Monaten
Henry gets drilled in the head, then kicks Bryant on the way down. Both are slow to get up, a clear sign of #concussion. The only people who don't seem to notice? The broadcasters. NFL says you can't use the c-word until they tell you to. 🫡 So they pretend nothing is happening
Chris Nowinski, Ph.D.71,719 Aufrufe • vor 8 Monaten
NFL players have 42x the risk of dying from ALS before age 50, according to a new study from Concussion & CTE Foundation, Mass General Brigham, Harvard, and the Boston University CTE Center that I coauthored and was published last week in eClinicalMedicine, an open-access journal from The Lancet. There is clearly a connection between repetitive head impacts, CTE, and ALS, and it affects more than just NFL players. Former college players are likely at elevated risk too, which doesn’t surprise me as two former players from my college football team, Harvard – Michael Vollmer ’90 and Mike Ernst ’83 – have both developed ALS. With only 33 NFL players – from 30 teams – dying of ALS between 1960-2019, having two from only college football programs is extremely unlikely unless it’s linked to playing football. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive disease that destroys the nerve cells controlling muscle movement. While ALS is uncommon in the general population, researchers say these findings provide the strongest evidence yet that we need to explore head impacts in sports as a cause of ALS.
Chris Nowinski, Ph.D.28,741 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten
I’m deeply saddened to share that my friend and former New Zealand Rugby Union player, Shane Christie, was diagnosed with stage 3 CTE by researchers at the University of Auckland. He was just 39 when he passed away last year. As a member of our Australian advisory board, Shane was a powerful advocate for greater support for players living with brain injuries.
Chris Nowinski, Ph.D.49,314 Aufrufe • vor 6 Monaten
Breaking: A 15-year-old athlete has been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), making him the youngest known person ever identified with the disease. That's two years younger than the previous youngest reported case: a 17-year-old high school football player.
Chris Nowinski, Ph.D.22,067 Aufrufe • vor 3 Monaten
After sustaining a concussion in a Patriots vs. Chargers game on Sunday, Christian Gonzalez showed two key signs on the field that players and coaches everywhere should be aware of. One of them was the SHAAKE. It’s the motion you often see after a hit to the head, when someone quickly shakes their head back and forth. Thankfully, the concussion spotters noticed and removed him from the game. If you see an athlete display the SHAAKE after a hit to the head, they should be removed from the game and evaluated for concussion.
Chris Nowinski, Ph.D.41,887 Aufrufe • vor 8 Monaten
Excited to announce that colleagues & I have identified a new #concussion sign that's been hiding in plain sight. We named it Spontaneous Headshake After a Kinematic Event, or SHAAKE. Seen in movies & cartoons, it hasn't been in protocols, but should be.
Chris Nowinski, Ph.D.81,829 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr