Heading a soccer ball unlikely to cause brain injury
22 August 2003
Heading the ball in soccer is unlikely to cause brain injury but head to head collisions might, says a leading sports physician in this week's British Medical Journal (2003; 327: 351-352).
Concern over head injuries associated with soccer was first raised following the case of Jeff Astle, a former England player, whose death was described by the coroner as an ‘industrial disease’. The finding suggested that repeated heading of soccer balls during Astle's professional career was the cause of his neurological decline.
Heading a soccer ball results in head accelerations of less than 10 g (a unit of gravitational force) whereas the minimum values for the development of sports-related concussion are 40 to 60 g, writes Dr Paul McCrory, a research fellow at the Centre for Sports Medicine Research and Education, Brain Research Institute, University of Melbourne.
In contrast, head to head contact can generate enough of the forces required to cause brain injury, as in any conventional head injury, Dr McCrory explained.
According to Dr McCrory, it seems unlikely that subconcussive impacts, such as those seen in head to ball contact, will cause chronic neurological injury. He explained that although head to head contact may cause concussive injury, it is both uncommon in soccer and unlikely to result in cumulative brain injury.
Last Reviewed: 24 August 2003
