MOJ
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Commentary Volume 9 Issue 1
Making combat sports safer-how frequent should combat sports athletes undergo neuroimaging?
Nitin K Sethi
Associate Professor of Neurology New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, USA
Received: January 06, 2026 | Published: February 10, 2026
Citation: Sethi NK. Making combat sports safer-how frequent should combat sports athletes undergo neuroimaging? MOJ Sports Med. 2026;9(1):10‒11. DOI: 10.15406/mojsm.2026.09.00194
Abstract
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are
exceedingly common in combat sports. These injuries can range from mild head
injuries such as concussion to more severe TBIs such as subdural hematoma
(SDH), intracranial hematoma (ICH), subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) among others.
Traumatic SDH remains the most common cause of boxing-related mortality. As a
result, for initial licensure and maintenance of licensure most combat sports
commissions require some form of neuroimaging. The type and frequency of
neuroimaging though is not standardized across different commissions in the
United States and around the world. This commentary discusses ideal
neuroimaging modality and frequency of imaging that would help ensure the
health and safety of the combatant.
Keywords: boxing, combat sports, concussion, traumatic brain injury, neuroimaging, CT scan head, MRI brain
©2026 Sethi. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.