Head Games: Concussions in Soccer FAQ

By Stephen A. Stache, Jr MD

Concussion diagnosis and care has come a long way in the last decade. Leagues have made changes to help make the game safe across sports and the medical community’s understanding of how to diagnose and treat concussion has improved exponentially, in the last few years. Still, if contact is part of your sport, concussion is a risk. While orthopaedic injuries like ankle sprains and muscle strain account for the overwhelming majority of injuries in youth soccer, concussion rates are increasing and accounted for 10.6% of all boys’ soccer injuries and 21.9% of injuries in girls in 2021-2022 in the United States.

Below are some answer to frequently asked question regard concussions in soccer:

Q: What is the most common cause of concussion in soccer?

A: “Attempting to head the ball and colliding or falling is by far the #1 risk of concussions in youth soccer, causing more than 30,000 concussions each year. Heading accounts for nearly one third of concussions in youth soccer.”

Source: Concussion Legacy Foundation: https:// concussionfoundation.org/sites/default/ files/2021-01/Safer_Soccer_White_Paper_CLF.pdf

Q: Are younger children at increased for sustaining a concussion in sports? What about Gender?

A: “Older youths (12-17), females, those with a history of concussion, and those participating in high contact sports were found to have higher risks of sustaining a concussion”

Source: Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology: https://academic.oup.com/acn/ article/34/1/60/4938567

Q: What can I do to help protect my child from concussions?

A: Know your child. If your child does not feel comfortable heading the soccer ball,

Dr. Stache is a non-operative sports medicine physician and serves as the Division Chief for Non-Operative Sports Medicine at Rothman Orthopaedics. He completed his fellowship and residency training at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and obtained his medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College. He is board certified in both sports medicine and family medicine and has particular interest in concussion management.

Dr. Stache served as a team physician for a variety of sports teams on a professional, collegiate and high school level. Originally from the Pittsburgh area of southwestern Pennsylvania, he was a former collegiate athlete playing four years as a starter in football at Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Stache previously served as the Head Team Physician for the Philadelphia Eagles and as a team physician for the Philadelphia 76ers. He currently serves on the medical staff for the Philadelphia Phillies, Drexel University and St. Joseph’s University then he/she should probably not be doing it.

Technique, technique, technique. Make sure that they can do so safely participate in soccer with proper technique, including heading.

Know how to look for signs and symptoms of concussion. Make sure your league has protocols in place on how to manage game or practice incidents where concussion is suspected, who can and should pull an athlete from play and if an athlete should see a physician prior to returning to participate

Source: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: https://injury.research. chop.edu/blog/posts/concussionsyouth-soccer-current-guidelines-andresearch

Q: What about protective equipment? Can it make a difference?

A: “There is evidence that helmet use reduces head injury risk in skiing, snowboarding and bicycling, but the effect on concussion risk is inconclusive. No strong evidence exists for the use of mouthguards or face shields to reduce concussion risk.”

Source: Research: British Journal of Sports Medicine: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/43/ Suppl_1/i56.short

Q: What should an athlete to if they suspect that have a concussion?

A: GET OUT OF THE GAME!!!! Athletes who do not immediately report symptoms of a concussion and continue to participate in athletic activity are at risk for longer recoveries than athletes who immediately report symptoms and are immediately removed from activity.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC4874376/

Soccer is a phenomenal sport, and one that can be part of a life-long health and wellness plan that allows for continued participation long after youth, highschool and college soccer careers end. Knowledge is power, and while injury is unfortunately part of participation in every sport, the more you know the more prepared you can be. Always follow the rules of the game and participate with common sense and fair play. And most importantly, if you are injured, in any way, do not participate and seek medical attention.