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Sports and Head / Brain Injury

Doc

Doc

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News folks have been hitting on the head injury issue in football for quite a while now. Especially in growing teens, head injuries can impede their learning abilities. American football is the only sport I've seen attributed to these injuries so far. I'm surprised soccer has not been brought up for they head the ball with a bare head. I've (dumbly) headed a soccer ball. Damn that hurt. I played football in HS and the soccer ball head butt was much worse than any knock I ever took in football.
Thoughts
 

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My son plays soccer and several of the coaches are friends so we've discussed this.

Concussions are really rare from heading a soccer ball. Most occur when 2 players bang their heads together (or get kicked in the head which is even rarer).

Heading the ball is something like 10-20% of a boxers punch while wearing gloves.

Also, the new balls aren't leather so they don't absorb any water. Old balls when they got wet retained the water and therefore got heavier and were more damaging to the head.
 
bczoom said:
My son plays soccer and several of the coaches are friends so we've discussed this.

Concussions are really rare from heading a soccer ball. Most occur when 2 players bang their heads together (or get kicked in the head which is even rarer).

Heading the ball is something like 10-20% of a boxers punch while wearing gloves.

Also, the new balls aren't leather so they don't absorb any water. Old balls when they got wet retained the water and therefore got heavier and were more damaging to the head.
Click to expand...

You're right on all counts. I especially remember those leather footballs when they got wet during the winter. You'd do just about anything to not have to head that thing. Besides, as a young kid learning to play the game, you are taught to use your forehead. I don't know if your brain rattles less from front to back rather than from side to side but I think that the skull is thicker in the front. In all my years playing soccer I never once saw or heard of anyone get a concussion from heading a ball.

The other game with its fair share of concussions is rugby. At the lower and younger levels it is played with a great deal of sportsmanship but as you progress up in age and skill level it gets much more competitive and therefore much rougher and more dangerous.

American football, I don't think that I'd let any of my kids play that game. Now, I love watching the game but I wouldn't let them play it.
 
My #2 son played football and had a concussion. Last night he emailed me to tell me he got his first concussion snowboarding in Utah and I know he wears a top of the line helmet. I'll follow up with him today.
 
I hope your son is alright Umberto. I had a closed head injury (amongst other things) in a car accident over 10 years ago and am still having seizures. When I see people riding motorcycles without helmets I shudder. I wish I had been wearing a helmet while driving my truck.
 
Playing outdoor games do need a lot of care of your body. I remember when I was playing football last year my leg got badly injured as the football was not of good quality. So, from that day whenever I use to play football or any other outdoor games I always use to play with the best quality equipment.
 
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