SOCCER & CONCUSSIONS

Greater than 90 percent of concussions in sport occur without being “knocked out”. The loss of consciousness is amongst the one 26 symptoms other possible symptoms that can be present after a concussion has been experienced.

In the past decade, the focus has been primarily on football players and military personnel who have sustained concussions and/or mild to severe brain injuries.

As mentioned in the “Epidemiology of Concussions” post, SCBT is a cumulative ticking time bomb, waiting to explode. Becoming more apparent as the athlete ages, resulting in symptoms like dementia known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive, degenerative brain disease, just to name few. This is similar to what boxer’s experience. It is known as “dementia pugilistica.” SCBT injuries are especially traumatic; due to the fact the athlete may not show any overt symptoms of a concussion, despite having received multiple blow the cranium. It is only till later in life that the athlete may show signs of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

SCBT can be represented as bruising to the brain, or micro-trauma, which cannot be seen, much like if one where to sustain such an insult to the thigh, for example. These micro impacts can easily diminish the threshold of partial and/or permanent brain trauma.

The average soccer player will head the ball on average of 5 to 6 times during a 90 minute match, with the vast majority of this occurring during practice (i.e. > 30 times).

Soccer players, in particular, with their repetitive ball ‘heading’ can be considered a form of “Sub-concussive Brain Trauma” (SCBT) or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), and could play a part neural alteration in soccer players, according to researchers utilizing (MRI) research techniques.

Read: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/11/repetitive-soccer-ball-heading-could-lead-to-brain-injury/