Professional Soccer Players Risk Long-Term Brain Injury

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Professional Soccer Players Risk Long-Term Brain Injury

ST. PAUL, MN -- Professional soccer players may be at risk for long-term brain injuries that affect their mental abilities, according to a study published in the September issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

These brain injuries result from either heading the ball or sustaining concussions from collisions with other players.

Researchers compared 53 professional Dutch soccer players to 27 elite Dutch swimming and track athletes. Participants were tested on memory, language, recognition and planning skills. Athletes were also interviewed about their medical history, occupational history and number of concussions (sports and non-sports related) in a lifetime.

"The professional soccer players show impaired memory, planning and recognition skills when compared to other athletes," said neurologist and study co-author Barry Jordan, MD, of the University of California at Los Angeles and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.

"The mental impairment of the players is subtle and would go unnoticed by many people. However, this type of long-term, cumulative brain injury, known as chronic traumatic brain injury, may last forever."

Forward and defensive players, who head the ball most often, showed a greater mental decline than players in the midfield and goal positions. A player's level of mental decline is correlated to the number of concussions received while playing soccer and the frequency of heading the ball, said Jordan.

Whether these finding can be applied to amateur or recreational soccer players remains to be determined by future research, Jordan added.

"I'm not advising anyone to stop playing soccer," said Jordan. "But if a soccer player at any level receives a concussion, it should be taken seriously by physicians and coaches."

Initial symptoms of concussion may include headache, dizziness, lack of awareness of surroundings, nausea, vomiting or loss of consciousness.

To maximize a player's safety, researchers recommend proper supervision and prevention methods for coaches and players, including the following: 1. Administer baseline mental skill tests to players before the season starts to help determine the possible adverse effects after a concussion and the appropriate timing for returning to competition. 2. Instruct players in proper heading techniques to help prevent head trauma. 3. Administer a medical evaluation to players who receive a concussion.

In professional soccer, a ball kicked at full power is estimated to hit a player's head with 175 pounds of force. In games during one season, soccer players in this study report taking a median of 800 headers. Fifty-four percent of the soccer players studied experienced one or more soccer-associated concussions and 79 percent experienced one or more head-to-head collisions.

American football and professional soccer players report an equal number of concussions. Of the sports that do not use helmets, men's and women's soccer tend to have the highest rates of concussion. Some brain injuries from heading the ball or making head-to-goalpost contact have resulted in fatalities, researchers report.

The American Academy of Neurology offers guidelines on how to evaluate a person who has suffered a head injury. The "concussion in sports guidelines" are designed to help coaches and athletic trainers determine the severity of a player's concussion and when the injured athlete should receive emergency medical treatment; and when he/she may safely return to competition. The guidelines and other related information are available at http://www.aan.com/public_res/concussion.html.

Improving patient care through education and research is the goal of the American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 15,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals.

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