Traumatic Brain Injury In Youth Soccer

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While the new header rule in youth soccer is widely accepted by many, because of the danger in potential traumatic brain injury (TBI) while performing the skill, it is ineffective in that youth soccer players will not learn how to properly do a header while still developing their skills. Although there is a large risk in doing headers at any age, there is an even more considerable risk in not properly teaching headers at a young age. Making contact with the head and the ball is considered to be dangerous for the brain, as well as the possibility of making contact with other players’ heads when going up to perform the skill. There is danger, however, in not knowing how to properly head the ball. The proper way to head the ball is with a steady …show more content…

The cause of injury in any sport generally derives from the contact made with other players. This is evident in sports such as american football, rugby, and presumably soccer. One can infer the general injuries caused by these sports; sprained ankles, ACL tears, and broken bones are all examples of injuries that can happen in a contact sport whether or not a collision occurs with another player. It is assumed that collision with other players is also a cause of concussion or TBI among athletes in any contact sport. The impact created by two soccer players going up for a header on the same ball is as dangerous, if not more than the actual physical act of heading the ball alone. According to Janet E. Joy and Margie Patlak, “Concussions are usually caused by head collisions with players, goalposts, or the ground.” (Joy, Patlak, 1). While the risk of the header is mentioned it is stated that these three aspects of the game are the most common cause of concussions in soccer and injury to the brain. While heading the ball is an important aspect of the game, it is not all the time that players are going up to make these plays, so the probable cause of a majority of the head injuries recorded from soccer are from collisions with other players or the ground, considering there are not many plays occurring near or around each of the …show more content…

Recently, the concussion band has been introduced into soccer, especially among younger players, that can be worn. It is a headband that tightly wraps around the head to provide protection from not only headers but other contact to the head. In a 2006 soccer match, goalkeeper, Petr Cech who now plays for Arsenal, fractured his skull when a player collided with his head while making a save. Fortunately, Cech was able to return to play and continues to play today. However, he now wears what has come to be known as “The Petr Cech Helmet”. This first hand experience with TBI provides the evidence needed to support wearing protective equipment in contact sports. “In the population studied, 47.8% had experienced symptoms of a concussion during the current football year. 26.9% of athletes who wore headgear (HG) and 52.8% of those who did not wear headgear (No-HG) had concussions.” (Delaney, Al-Kashmiri, Drummond, Correa). While there is still risk in being affected by TBI when wearing protective headgear, there is a significantly lower risk in wearing headgear than no protective equipment at all. Furthermore, a header is not always intentional in a game, a ball may hit a player by accident in the head. Protective head gear can reduce the risk of

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