Subconcussive blows and soccer: what’s the headache?

As the fall sports ramps up, teen athletes across the country are donning shin guards and cleats, prepping to return to their beloved sport—soccer. A handful, however, are foregoing the ritual. One child sitting on the sidelines is the 13-year old daughter of Ken Reed, sports policy director of the League of Fans. Reed and his wife decided the risk of short- and long-term brain damage from subconcussive blows to the head outweighed the benefits of the sport. They pulled their daughter from the field, a decision Reed shared on this recent Huffington Post blog. Thriving checked with William Meehan, MD, director of Boston Children’s Hospital Sports Concussion Clinic, to learn more about the science of subconcussive blows. Studies seem to indicate a troubling trend. A research letter, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in late 2012, compared MRI exams of the brains of soccer players to swimmers and found differences in white matter integrity. White matter contains nerve fibers and connects areas of the brain responsible for different tasks, such as attention and memory. MRI exams also showed amateur adult soccer players who headed the ball more frequently had white matter abnormalities similar to those found in players who suffered concussions, researchers reported in another study in Radiology. Such studies attract a lot of media attention and may prompt some parents to consider pulling their children from the field. “It’s a personal decision. W...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: All posts Concussions Orthopedics Sports & exercise athlete and concussion Bill Meehan soccer injuries Sports Concussion Clinic Source Type: news