Found this article today while browsing the RSL forum. It's a sobering read about one player's experience. this piece from ex-RSLer Alecko Eskandarian The issue of concussions in soccer deserves discussion and attention.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235239641630490X Highlights Standard soccer heading results in immediate and measurable alterations in brain function. Changes in short and long term memory function and corticomotor inhibition are detectable immediately after soccer heading. These changes in brain function after just a single session of heading appear transient. These data provide direct evidence of immediate brain functional impairment associated with soccer heading. Questions have been raised over whether soccer heading might have an effect on a player's brain, with particular worry over the proposed link between brain injury and increased risk of dementia. However, until now there have been no studies of the immediate effects of heading in soccer directly on brain function. This study found that just a single session of heading practice resulted in temporary impairment of short and long term memory function and in electrophysiological function of the brain. Whether these effects remain temporary after repeated soccer heading exposure and their long-term consequences on brain health must now be investigated.
In England, Alan Shearer is looking into it, at least as it applies to dementia. http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/39063592
I think this needs to be studied in great detail. However, most of the career ending concussion problems like Twellman and Eskandarian are the result of head to head contact and not heading the ball. I worry about heading with my son, but I'm actually a lot more worried about him cracking heads with the other teams.
True. Heading the ball really is not the issue. It is when two heads try to occupy the same space when real injuries occur. I worry about the same thing when my son plays. As a father, you really understand what is at risk.
Concussions happen. No getting around that. The problem is with repeated occurrences. Just make sure your daughter shows no symptoms from the concussion before returning to practice. Too many kids are rushed back on the field without adequate time for recovery.
Here is a scary article about our own Chris Rolfe. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...cer-players-daily-struggles-after-concussion/
My nephew is now 17 and he was one hell of a hockey goalie until a couple of years ago when another kid slipped in practice in front of the goal and drove him back into the pipe. His head hit in the one spot in the back and even with a helmet was concussed to the point where he can't concentrate long enough to attend school anymore. He's working at home to complete school, but his brain has definitely changed and it's a struggle. This stuff is VERY real. (FYI, he's the kid with me in the avatar picture - no, not Victor E. Huskie).
I'm very sorry to hear that and I sincerely hope that somehow he's able to get back to his former self.
One of my first soccer teammates was in a car/cycling accident at age 12, skull fracture (this was about '73...helmet? What's a helmet?) and brain injury that changed his personality. It was pretty awful to see the changes in him, and what it did to his dad (our coach). I've invested a lot of time over the past several years researching this, and CTE in particular. While the evidence is almost entirely anectodal, it seems that the worst situations are for those who get multiple concussions in a short time window. But as we've also seen and read, catastrophic problems can arise from what would be considered "mild" injuries, and the definition of what constitutes a concussion has been broadened from when we grew up (likely anyone aged 40+). Back in the day, if you didn't lose consciousness, you were considered to be good to go on your own judgment. It will still be several years before imaging technology allows deeps scans of living brains that can detect CTE. For those who exhibit symptoms that suggest CTE, today that diagnosis can only be confirmed post-mortem. Some of the more bizarre and violent acts by former NFLers have confirmed its presence (and I make no claims to having compiled any meaningful data). Just the thought of being turned into a monster from the inside out is horrifying.
Heartbreaking stuff. Honestly, I don't know if I'll let my kids play ... almost any sport because of this.