Personal Injury Blog

Now, Studies Link Soccer to Severe Brain Damage

December 1st, 2011
soccer leads to severe brain damage

Soccer "heading" has been known to cause brain damage

Soccer players who frequently head the ball, or use their heads to hit the ball, could be at a high risk of experiencing severe brain damage.  According to a new study, even soccer players who hit a ball with their head just a few times a day may be at a high risk of brain injury.

The results of the study were presented at the Annual Conference of the Radiological Society of North America.  The researchers studied 32 amateur soccer players who headed the ball a few times a day, or between 1,000 and 1,500 times a year.  They found that these players suffered severe injuries in the area of the brain that is responsible for organizing, attention, planning, memory and vision.  Young players who did not hit the ball as many times did not show this level of brain injury.

The average age of the soccer players in the study was 31.  All of them ha been playing since they were children.  Researchers believe that younger players are probably even more at risk for brain injury from heading than older adults.

Previous studies on the same players also found that those who headed the ball more than 1,000 times a year had poorer scores on reaction time.  The study seems to show that heading the ball beyond a certain number of times, may lead to serious damage to the brain.  However, this is a preliminary study, and researchers are not in a position to confirm that a specified number of times heading the ball, is linked to certain types of brain injuries.  However, they are recommending that amateur players be advised to reduce the amount of heading that they do, especially during practice drills.

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against excessive heading.  However, the group says that it does not have enough evidence to recommend that young soccer players refrain from heading altogether.  A person who hits a ball any other hard object with his head can suffer from symptoms of concussion.  Repeated concussions have been linked to severe brain damage, with long-lasting effects.  San Diego brain injury lawyers have found a lot of attention focused on brain injuries involving ex-NFL players, who take several hits to the head leading to concussions, during a typical season.

The study does not indicate any serious brain damage or long-lasting consequences from heading by young soccer players.  However, the damage seems to be more in the form of a decline in coordination and thinking abilities.  Also, the damage may not come from occasional heading, but through repetitive heading which can cause the degeneration of brain cells.

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