Associations Between Football-Related Exposures, Head Injury, Tinnitus, and Neuropsychological Health Outcomes Among Professional American-Style Football Players

OBJECTIVES: Auditory dysfunction such as tinnitus is a common sequelae of traumatic brain injury (TBI), and has been associated with neurobehavioral outcomes, including cognitive decline, depression, and anxiety. Few studies have examined associations between concussion history and tinnitus independent of confounding by blast injury or occupational noise exposure....

✦ Clinical Takeaway ✦

Audiologists evaluating current or former contact sport athletes should include tinnitus and cognitive screening as part of their assessment, given the associations found between head injury exposure and both tinnitus and neuropsychological outcomes in this population.

✦ Why It Matters ✦

Establishing links between repeated head trauma, tinnitus, and neuropsychological decline in professional athletes broadens the case for routine auditory and cognitive screening in sports medicine and occupational hearing health programs.

✦ Key Points ✦

01Study examined professional American football players and associations between head injury, tinnitus, and neuropsychological health.
02Found associations between football-related head exposures and tinnitus prevalence.
03Neuropsychological outcomes including cognitive decline and depression were also associated with head injury history.
04Highlights tinnitus as a potential marker of cumulative head trauma in contact sport athletes.
05Published in Sports Medicine - Open (DOI: 10.1186/s40798-026-01053-6).

✦ Claims & Evidence ✦

ClaimEvidenceSupport

Football-related head injuries are associated with increased tinnitus prevalence in professional players.

studypartially supported

Head injury exposure in professional football players is associated with cognitive decline and depression.

studypartially supported

Tinnitus may serve as a marker of cumulative neurological impact from repeated head trauma.

studyunclear

✦ Research metadata ✦

PMID: 42319726
DOI: 10.1186/s40798-026-01053-6.
Journal: Sports Medicine - Open
Publication type: research_article
Evidence level: 3
Population: Professional American-style football players
Intervention: Football-related head injury and exposure history

Primary outcomes

Tinnitus prevalence and severity; Neuropsychological outcomes (cognitive function, depression)

✦ Related stories ✦

PubMed·Clinical trial·Tinnitus·6d ago

Tinnitus disorder and musical auditory training: a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial

This double-blind RCT on Musical Auditory Training for tinnitus is the strongest design available for this question; if results are positive, audiologists should consider MAT as an evidence-based adjunct to tinnitus management — await full results and effect-size data before...

PubMed·Journal article·Tinnitus·2w ago

Otolithic Dysfunction in Normal-Hearing Individuals With Tinnitus

Consider adding otolith function testing (e.g., cVEMP/oVEMP) to the assessment battery for normal-hearing tinnitus patients, as subclinical cochleovestibular dysfunction may be present before measurable hearing loss develops.

PubMed·Journal article·Tinnitus·4w ago

Can Tinnitus Cause Speech-in-Noise Deficits?

alone; await full-text review before changing how you counsel tinnitus patients about speech-in-noise difficulties.

PubMed·Clinical trial·Tinnitus·6w ago

Mobile Application as a Digital Therapeutic for Chronic Tinnitus: A Randomized Clinical Trial

If the app demonstrated significant efficacy, audiologists managing chronic tinnitus patients should consider whether a CBT-based digital therapeutic could complement or extend clinic-based tinnitus management — specific outcome data from the trial should be reviewed before...

PubMed·Journal article·Tinnitus·8d ago

Tinnitus and tinnitus disorder: Genetic, neurobiological, and clinical differentiation

Clinicians should consider applying the proposed tinnitus vs. tinnitus disorder distinction in intake assessments, as it may better identify patients who need psychological or autonomic co-management beyond standard audiological care.

PubMed·Journal article·Tinnitus·5w ago

EEG Spectral Analysis of Tinnitus Sound Therapy: Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis provides neurophysiological evidence supporting sound therapy's effect on brain activity in chronic tinnitus, but clinicians should interpret EEG outcomes cautiously as surrogate markers until they are linked to validated patient-reported symptom improvement.

PubMed·Journal article·Tinnitus·2w ago

Beyond the auditory: anxiety bridges sleep disturbances and depressive symptoms to tinnitus handicap

Audiologists managing tinnitus patients should routinely screen for anxiety as a mediator of tinnitus handicap, because addressing anxiety — through referral to psychology or audiological counselling — may reduce the compounding burden of co-occurring sleep disturbance and...

PubMed·Journal article·Tinnitus·5d ago

Association Between Cannabis Use and Tinnitus: A Multi-Center Propensity-Score-Matched Cohort Study

Clinicians should note this study's association findings when taking patient histories involving cannabis use and tinnitus, but a causal link is not established and no change in tinnitus management protocols is warranted yet.