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ADULT SOCCER PLAYERS who regularly use their heads to hit balls are three times more likely to show concussion symptoms than players who don’t head the ball often.
Published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, the findings were based on more than 200 adult amateur soccer players in the New York City area.
“These results show that heading the ball is indeed related to concussion symptoms, which is contrary to a recent study that suggested that collisions were responsible for most concussions,” said study author Michael Lipton of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
“Many players who head the ball frequently are experiencing classic concussion symptoms such as headache, confusion, and dizziness during games and practice, even though they are not actually diagnosed with concussion.”
Players completed an online questionnaire about how often they played soccer during the previous two weeks.
They were also asked how many times they headed the ball, and how many times they had unintentional head impacts, such as colliding with another player.
Players were also asked how often they experienced any symptoms from the head impacts.
The participants were divided into four groups, with those in the top sector saying they headed the ball an average of 125 times in two weeks, and members of the bottom group saying they headed the ball about four times in two weeks.
“Those in the group with the most headers were three times more likely to have symptoms than those who headed the ball the least,” the study said.
Symptoms ranged from moderate pain and some dizziness to feeling dazed, stopping play, needing medical attention and even losing consciousness.
Some 20% of participants reported experiencing moderate to very severe concussion symptoms.
Those symptoms “were more strongly connected with unintentional head impacts,” such as colliding with a player or goal post, the study said, adding that “heading was shown to be an independent risk factor for concussion symptoms.”
Of the 222 players who completed questionnaires, 79% were men.
Researchers cautioned that the study, based on self-reported injuries and symptoms, could contain errors of recollection.
The survey did not include professional players, teenagers or children.
“The findings raise concerns about the long-term effects from heading the ball,” Lipton said, adding that “more research is needed.”
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I’ll never forget the first time i headed the ball from a goalkeepers kick out. What a shock to the system that was. Those old mitre match balls were heavy.
Liverpool defence needn’t worry
Hardly the most scientific of studies is it? 200 amateur footballers were asked to complete a questionnaire. Does that qualify as scientific research these days?
It has some merit but would need a bigger study – brain analysis is complex however – Alzheimer’s is typically only diagnosed post morgen – only a hunch based on symptoms before brain dissection
@Brian O’Loughlin: Larger studies were actually done nearly 20 years ago. They concluded that professional players who tended to head the ball had on average an IQ 5 points lower that those who didn’t. They concluded that it had an impact on them but thought that since those players had been playing in a time when balls were much heavier that the problem would go away.
It may not be just the weight of the ball, simply whipping a head at the ball may be enough for some. Concussion seems to affect everyone differently.
@Brian o Laughlin
In some of those similar studies they compared forwards,midfielders,defenders and goalkeepers and found the non heading positions were safer.
I used to to head the ball and I turned out TV
They’ve already banned heading in underage soccer in the states. Might actually work out for them in the long run if it lets the kids work on passing and dribbling instead of hoofing it up to a big lad.
Heading is a big part of the game though. The study says three times more likely than those players that don’t head the ball. But how likely is that compared to those who play contact sports? Kids could just use lighter or small balls
The soccer balls today are like balloons compared to the cannon balls we had to head as youngflas. And when they took on water they tripled in weight. It’s no wonder I never made anything of myself…walking around in a stupid haze since 11 years of age.
Well there’s a surprise!
Possibly the most obvious headline I’ve ever read.
Can we just pause for a second and recognise that the Albert Einstein College of Medicine exists
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