Tinnitus common among football players, linked to history of head injury
Tinnitus—a condition characterized by phantom ringing in the ears—is common among former National Football League (NFL) players, especially those with a history of concussion symptoms, and is often accompanied by worse mental health, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The study, published June 19 in Sports Medicine Open, was led by Niki Konstantinides, a researcher in the Department of Environmental Health and with the Football Players Health Study at Harvard University (FPHS). Other co-authors from Harvard Chan School and the FPHS included Michael Leung, Rachel Grashow, Elizabeth Nolan, Frank Speizer, and Marc Weisskopf.
Previous research has linked head trauma with tinnitus among members of the military as well as the general public, and has found that the condition is associated with diminished quality of life, including symptoms of cognitive impairment, depression, and anxiety. In the new study, researchers investigated these links among former NFL players, using health data from 1,085 FPHS participants. Between 2019 and 2025, the participants completed questionnaires on their exposure to head trauma, auditory dysfunction, and mental health symptoms, which the researchers analyzed.
The study found that roughly 39% of participants reported experiencing tinnitus. It also found that a history of concussion symptoms was associated with a greater likelihood of reporting tinnitus, and that among former players living with the condition, there were strong relationships between head injury and depression, anxiety, and cognition.
The researchers also observed disparities in reporting tinnitus: Black players were 50% less likely to report their symptoms compared to their non-Black counterparts, indicating that Black football players may be underdiagnosed and/or underseen for the condition.
According to the researchers, the findings have implications for both players and their health care providers. They encouraged players to request enhanced tinnitus screenings, particularly if they have a history of concussion or traumatic brain injury. They added that providers should be proactive in incorporating tinnitus screening and care into their workups of football players. “Clinicians should consider tinnitus when evaluating long-term cognitive and mental health outcomes following repeated head injury,” they wrote.
