Concussions In Youth Soccer

Imagine leaping up from the ground and jerking your head to send a soccer ball whizzing into the back of the net. Your head begins to spin and a ringing sound pierces your ears. You lay on the ground dazed, but overwhelmed by the crowd cheering, you proceed to play in the game. No damage done right? Actually, 60% of soccer players experience head injuries or signs of concussions in in their soccer careers.!Heading in youth soccer has grown as a concern among soccer leagues and parents, for years, and more attention should be brought to players’ health.In youth soccer, heading is dangerous because of neurodegenerative concussions, possible long term damage,and the effect on academic performance.

Heading the ball in soccer progressively contributes

A single hit against one’s head can bring years of possible irreparable injuries. “We found that football heading resulted in immediate and measurable changes in brain function. Increased inhibition in the brain was detected after just a single session of heading. Memory test performance was also reduced by between 41 and 67%.”(Di Virgillo, Hunter, Letswaart).In a test determining if impact from a soccer ball affects memory, results showed test performance scores dropping dramatically.If a single session of heading can affect memory loss, imagine an entire career of soccer. Youth players who begin heading the soccer ball early have a higher chance of future head and memory problems. If rules continue to allow the action, in players later years they will experience possible intense damage. Another piece of text supporting that heading can lead to long term damage is, “ The neuropsychological examination, which included tests of attention, concentration, memory, and judgment, demonstrated that 81% of the soccer players had some degree of impairment, compared to 40% of the controls with only a mild degree of impairment.”(NLM). When tested, soccer players showed indefinite signs of impairment compared to those who didn’t play the sport. The testing was based on attention, concentration, memory, and judgement. All of which are accomplished with a healthy brain. Patients tested who did not play soccer displayed superior test scores due to the lack of head trauma experienced in their lives. Other research and testing reveals, “ Under the microscope, all six brains showed evidence of the abnormal tau protein accumulation typical of Alzheimer 's dementia, and four of the six brains revealed the classic damage associated with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy...”(Smith).When a group of soccer players had their brains investigated underneath a microscope, evidence of CTE and accumulation of Alzheimer 's dementia was