News: New Article Publishes Results of Heading Study

Discussion in 'Coach' started by rca2, Nov 3, 2016.

  1. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider today provided information about an article published in a medical journal recently.

    "...The research entailed players ages 19 to 25 heading the ball 20 times from a machine designed to replicate the power and pace of a corner kick. The players were tested before and after the sessions on brain function and memory...."

    http://www.socceramerica.com/article/71023/study-reveals-new-information-on-headings-impact.html

    Soccer America provided a link to the article which is available in PDF format.
     
  2. nicklaino

    nicklaino Member+

    Feb 14, 2012
    Brooklyn, NY
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Wait each player headed a ball traveling about 60 miles an hour 20 times in how long 2 mintes? I would get groggy after doing that. How many corners do you think you get in a real game? How many times does the same player get their heads on a corner in a real game?

    I don't subscribe to soccer America anymore because they post anything they happen to read on the internet. They think Americans would find interesting. You know why I left they did a story on one mls player making a slur against another player during a game to rattle him because he felt the need to tell everyone one he was a homo sexual. I said he should have just got the guy alone with nobody around and punched his lights out. The other posters were upset that I would tell a player to rap another player for saying that. God forbid you ever take an action yourself to right a wrong against you in these modern times of ratting people out or suing them with lawyers.

    First of all your more likely to get knocked out on a corner from being on the receiving end of an opponents elbow to forearm when going for a corner. Trust me only certain mls players have the guts to really go after headers. The ones who never seem to get to those balls don't really want to get to those balls. Because they lack balls.
     
    Rebaño_Sagrado repped this.
  3. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    Politically speaking, this study is going to be cited as evidence which it is not. The lack of a control group is a glaring omission in the process. Without one it is unscientific to draw any conclusions about the data other than ways to improve the process for future experimentation. In addition there was a chart of the data. Given their conclusions I was surprised that the data appeared to be scattered. I had expected more individual subjects to show a decrease in function.

    It seems intuitive to me that when data is scattered that there are unknown factors involved. But then, maybe I am just misreading their chart.

    Regarding violence, I understand what you are saying although a lot of people won't. The use of violence is very much cultural. I was in both the construction business and military as a laborer and a private before I ever put on a suit and sat behind a desk. There is a reason that officers have needed petty officers and sergeants even after 1000's of years of civilization. Gender is irrelevant. A referee who keeps the yellow card in his shirt when he shouldn't is going to end up showing a red one after players decide to protect themselves as the ref isn't. Women are actually more vindictive than men.

    While I don't condone violence in sports at any level, the quickest way to become a victim of violence in competitive sports is to be intimidated by it. The violence and rage was what turned me off about pointy football. It is extremely combative and violent. That mentality is much more so than even martial arts, which is more defensive and protective minded and therefore more balanced mentally. Mental balance and control is an important skill for competitive athletics.
     
  4. cleansheetbsc

    cleansheetbsc Member+

    Mar 17, 2004
    Club:
    --other--
    I looked at the article quickly, but not the charts. If I'm correct, the players all took baseline tests before hand. Would that not be the 'control group?'

    for example, I know for my son's high school team this season, he needed to take a baseline assessment test. This would be the standard he would need to reach in order to be allowed to play again if he suffered a concussion.

    From this test, the players performed below the test. Seems reasonable. Now perhaps putting players through a similar test with no heading would be an interesting comparison. Perhaps its the physical activity that brings the brain level down.

    Not neuroscientist. Just wondering.
     
  5. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    @cleansheetbsc Look at figure 2. The slopes are scattered, not merely varied.

    Keep in mind that in athletics performance never remains a constant. Changes in performance are the basis for the principle of adaption. So don't assume that a control group would not see changes in performance too. Brain waves change even during sleep.

    I would be very interested in hearing what a specialist has to say about this study and expect to hear one at the NSCAA convention in January.
     
  6. Peter Rival

    Peter Rival Member

    Oct 21, 2015
    I think cleansheet picked up on an important issue with this study - they detected a transient change in test results but could not definitively connect that change to specifically heading a ball. There were too many moving parts (as he said, was it caused also, in part, or even in full by the physical exertion or some sort of stress reaction?) and further the test was performed only once, which means the bigger question of what happens when players practice headers even, say, at reduced per-practice volume but over the course of years? Unfortunately this kind of result is what we're seeing a lot these days - something that mostly answers a very small part of a very big question. Conveniently enough that means the researchers have reason to ask for more funding for follow-on studies - you can decide how much of a conspiracy theory that is. ;)

    That all said, I do think this is a field we need to understand better. If the pointy football folks have shown us nothing else, it's how delicate the human brain is when subject to even sub-concussive blows. Having suffered multiple concussions myself this issue is pretty dear to me and I'd rather not have to see others suffer the effects even one can cause.

    While I'm at it, in future studies I'd like to see controls or at least data for the types of balls used as well as their inflation level. The relative "hardness" of a ball at 10 PSI is going to be rather different from a ball at 14 which will translate to more energy transferred to the player's head on impact.

    Sorry, I spend most of my day job trying to figure out what numbers mean, and sometimes that includes numbers we don't expect so I'm always looking for unexpected sources of input. Well, when I'm not writing plans or sitting in meetings, that is...:unsure:
     
  7. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    The report described the physical features of the ball including psi.

    The test data was scattered. 14 results went in one direction but the degree varied. 5 individuals had the opposite effect. I could be sarcastic and say that the test results proved that 25% of people get smarter after heading the ball.
     
  8. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    You did say as much. My second paragraph was not directed specifically at you.

    I think Peter may be correct in suggesting that the article may be more of a lure for funding than a scientific report.
     
    cleansheetbsc repped this.
  9. nicklaino

    nicklaino Member+

    Feb 14, 2012
    Brooklyn, NY
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    There have been many studies on older players in soccer the effect of brain damage.

    They used the old ball. When it rained that ball got very heavy.

    Today's ball is much better and if the ball is properly inflated. It is not a big problem if the players attack the ball and not let it hit them. Now that heading is banned for young kids. I believe the player would not be great at them when they get older. Plus they won't be good at protecting the space they are playing in. So I predict more head injuries then we have now in the future.
     
    rca2 repped this.
  10. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    Yeah I remember those leather bricks they called balls. If anything you understate what happened when it rained.

    You didn't head a punt more than once. Even a flick on was a problem.
     
  11. nicklaino

    nicklaino Member+

    Feb 14, 2012
    Brooklyn, NY
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    This was from a poster on another site. I have had it for 13 years.

    " As an ATC I use both the SAC and IMPACT tests. The SAC test is a quick test that assigns an objective value to the symptoms. This is used on the sidelines, while the IMPACT is used to determine when it is safe to return the athlete to play. "

    Below is the point of my post on preseason testing.

    "Both tests are also used as pre-season screening tests. This will establish a baseline value which can be used to compare to the post-injury test to determine the relative severity of the concussion.

    In terms of returning to play, it is based on the symptoms. If the symptoms resolve within 15 minutes the symptoms do not return with exertional testing, and their SAC scores are within 1 point of their baseline they can return to the game. If the symptoms persist for longer than 15 minutes they are not allowed to return and are evaluate the next day. If any LOC occurs they must be cleared to participate by a doctor. Bear in mind that these are guidelines used by doctors and ATCS alike and should not be implemented by someone without medical training. Generally, if a concussion occurs and medical personnel are not immediately available it is better to error on the side of caution and require a doctors release. This is often required in the case of high school teams depending on the school's specific guidelines."
     
  12. Peter Rival

    Peter Rival Member

    Oct 21, 2015
    If nothing else this reminds me that I really need to talk to our school administration as there is precisely zero concussion protocol either at our school or in our league for any sport. I watched a girl slam to the court in a basketball game last year, her head bouncing like a ball. She got up a little slowly, the coach asked if she was okay, and off she went to take her foul shots. I wanted to run onto the court to force someone to check her out, but she was on the other team and there I'm just a parent. We may be a very small school and a very small league, but that's not an excuse to put players' health at risk...
     
    elessar78 and nicklaino repped this.
  13. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    The CNN headline is misleading. The correlation is with multiple "unintentional impacts," i.e., collisions and falls. Heading is a problem when head to head contact is made. There is no evidence that heading the ball causes concussions, but there is a correlation between the frequency of heading and head injuries. That should be no surprise as if you don't head, your chance of head to head contact is reduced. For those who want to ban heading, heading is involved in only 15% of head injuries per the article. The answer is teaching players to play safely, not ban playing.
     

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