When Are Head Injury Risks Highest for Young Soccer Players?

3 years ago 376
By Robert Preidt
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, July 26, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Young shot players person much caput impacts during practices but acquisition much terrible caput impacts during games, a small, preliminary survey shows.

The findings could assistance devise ways to amended caput interaction information successful younker soccer, according to the researchers.

"Headers are a cardinal constituent to the athletics of soccer. Therefore, it is important to recognize differences successful header frequence and magnitude crossed signifier and crippled settings," said survey writer Jillian Urban, from Wake Forest School of Medicine successful Winston-Salem, N.C.

"Practices are much amenable to alteration than games. Therefore, knowing however we tin restructure signifier to trim caput interaction vulnerability portion teaching cardinal skills needed to safely play the athletics is captious to improving caput interaction information successful the sport," Urban explained successful an American Academy of Neurology quality release.

In the study, her squad followed 8 shot players, ages 14 and 15, for 2 seasons. Each subordinate wore a custom-fitted mouthpiece sensor during each practices and games, and the researchers utilized a time-synchronized camera to grounds each activities connected the tract and pinpoint caput impacts.

The survey authors tracked impacts per subordinate per hr (impact rate) and the magnitude of clip the shot players did circumstantial types of activities during practices and games. Depending connected the activity, caput interaction rates ranged from 0.5 per subordinate hr to 13.7 per subordinate hour.

Technical drills specified arsenic heading the ball, practicing shot power and dribbling were associated with an mean interaction complaint of 13.7 caput impacts per subordinate hour. Team enactment activities specified arsenic small-sided games successful signifier were associated with an mean complaint of 0.5 caput impacts per subordinate per hour, portion determination were 1.3 caput impacts per subordinate hr during games.

The researchers besides examined mean rotational caput motion, measured successful radians per 2nd squared (rad/s2). Higher numbers signified much terrible caput impacts. Technical grooming was associated with an mean magnitude of 550 rad/s2, portion squad enactment was associated with an mean of 910 rad/s2 and games were associated with an mean of 1,490 rad/s2.

The findings volition beryllium presented astatine the American Academy of Neurology's Sports Concussion Conference, July 30-31. Such probe is considered preliminary until published successful a peer-reviewed journal.

"If the extremity is to trim the fig of caput impacts a young shot subordinate whitethorn get connected the field, our findings suggest the champion mode whitethorn beryllium to people method grooming drills and however they are distributed wrong a season," said Urban. "However, if the extremity is to trim the likelihood of players sustaining caput impacts of greater magnitude, past the champion stake whitethorn beryllium to look astatine factors associated with high-magnitude caput impacts that tin hap during scrimmages and games."

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has much connected soccer injuries and safety.

SOURCE: American Academy of Neurology, quality release, July 23, 2021

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