Namath Quarterbacks Brain Injury Therapy

By ELIZABETH KELLY

Football legend Joe Namath is backing a new therapy that promises to ease symptoms associated with traumatic brain injury.

According to the NFL, nearly a third of retired football players will develop cognitive problems as they age and 1.7 million people in the United States suffer traumatic brain injuries each year.

The former Jet quarterback has endured brain injuries himself throughout his long career in the NFL,” he told a grouop of reporter at a Midtown hotel Tuesday where he announced the start of a new medical center named for him.

“I walked in one room and I said well why did I come in here and a fear came into my being,” Namath said. “I found that I owed it to myself and my family, my children, my grandchildren, to investigate, to see what this is about.”

Namath began investigating at the Jupiter Medical Center in Jupiter, Florida. At the suggestion of his physicians, he was introduced to hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which is primarily used to treat chronic wounds.

Namath said has been improving since August, 2012 with no negative side effects. He aded that he now has more energy and is able to exercise at a higher rate. He’s also been successful in sustaining memory since having the treatment. Through brain imaging, doctors have determined there has been “a dramatic improvement” in his cognitive abilities.

According to Dr. Barry Miskin, medical director of wound care at the Jupiter Medical Center, hyperbaric therapy uses oxygen under high pressures and the drug to get to tissues that it normally wouldn’t, allowing cells to regenerate and cause blood flow in those areas, improving brain functioning.

The FDA recently approved a clinical trial at the Joe Namath Neurological Research Center at Jupiter to further investigate the benefits of the therapy on traumatic brain injuries. The new trial will test the therapy on 100 patients who will receive anywhere from 40 to 120 treatments, depending on progress. The progress will be tested through brain imaging as well as cognitive tests.

“Through sports I realize life’s effort is a team effort,” said Broadway Joe, looking fit at age 71. “We need to help each other.”