Brain injuries again.

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An autopsy of a former Brazilian soccer star has found that the man suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the brain condition found in more than 40 deceased NFL veterans.

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/thro...-modern-soccer

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from the article: "Soccer has been slow to develop a response to those concussion risks, even as awareness of the dangers of brain trauma increase among the public. FIFA, the world's governing soccer body, is only now seeking to implement a defined in-game protocol for head injuries." In other words, they have no policy, as evidenced by at least two players in the World Cup who clearly had their bells rung but were allowed to go back in.

It's great that there is more attention being paid to this really important issue. But sadly money usually rules in pro sports so likely nothing will be done at that level.

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FIFA needs to put some teeth into their "protocol" as evidenced by several incidences in the World Cup.

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No heading. Period.
Yup, it would be a big change to the game..... but so what? Just back up 2 steps and get the ball down to your feet and play it from there. End of story for 95% of head injuries in soccer.

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Basically what I am telling my 12 yo daughter to do. Avoid heading if possible. Not worth it. See JAMA article from last month on middle school elite female soccer players. She's on three teams and has had one header this season so far, did it 'correctly'-and had no other choice.

Remember though, a lot of concussion injuries come not from the ball itself hitting the head, but from players colliding as they go up for a header.

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It's definitely not the headers, it's the collisions.

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It's definitely not the headers, it's the collisions.

Awhile back there was a thread about where HS sports injuries come from by sport. For soccer concussions I think something like 70% were from head-to-head contact (probably a combination of two players going up to head the ball at the same time, or simply body collisions). My kid had a concussion from two going for a header - other player was fine while mine was seeing stars and looked like a drunk walking off the field. Thankfully we had a coach who took it seriously and wouldn't play him for weeks. I was furious when I saw those World Cup players go back in the games. Playing at that level for so many years you wonder how many concussions they've had and ignored.

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It's definitely not the headers, it's the collisions.

No one really knows re: headers vs. collisions. Collisions are much more likely to cause acute symptoms but heading may cause mini trauma that builds up over time. Similar to what boxer get from a career of hits.

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It's definitely not the headers, it's the collisions.

I disagree. My 2 daughters have gotten concussions from trying to head a driven ball. Besides the obvious physical difference between males and females, I theorize in part that females lack the same spatial awareness that their male counterparts innately possess which often makes judging headers difficult.

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I disagree. My 2 daughters have gotten concussions from trying to head a driven ball. Besides the obvious physical difference between males and females, I theorize in part that females lack the same spatial awareness that their male counterparts innately possess which often makes judging headers difficult.

Mine got one from a free kick (he was in the wall). It caused him a year of his life, both academically and athletically.

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Mine got one from a free kick (he was in the wall). It caused him a year of his life, both academically and athletically.

Would you mind sharing-how old was he and did he go back to playing?

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Would you mind sharing-how old was he and did he go back to playing?

He was 14. He is playing in college now (NESCAC). Looking back on the ordeal, that was the moment he fell off the soccer and academic fast track. It took several months to diagnose the concussion (majority goes undiagnosed). His grades fell off a cliff. He was depressed, confused, and turned briefly to drugs. He was made to feel stupid in school by his teachers. Without going into personal details, he was really good in school and soccer. Once diagnosed properly, it took a year to recover (and maybe he never got back to 100%) He began playing again but was never really the same. We see flashes of the old kid. In summary, concussions are worse than you could ever imagine as the brian is a complex organ that we just
Ntone know much about. I'm glad the world is finally starting to take them seriously.

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A friends son had a serious concussion and experienced the same academic, emotional and athletic decline for almost 2 years. And he still has ringing in one ear. As a parent, treat any head injury, even seemingly minor, seriously. Don't assume coaches and trainers know best. If in doubt, keep you child out of competition. It is just not worth it.

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While we're sharing horror stories....a good friend's daughter had a few in MS and HS then junior year sustained a very serious one and was never the same. Grades also nosedived, she barely got through HS with academic support. Struggled in college and dropped out. Is taking 1-2 classes locally because that's all she can handle at once. My daughter, having witnessed this poor girls' progression (and had one minor concussion herself), said if she got another one she's out. You've only got one brain and it doesn't heal the way a broken bone does. Sometimes it is fully restored but that restoration is unpredictible and frustrating. Often it's forever altered

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No heading. Period.
Yup, it would be a big change to the game..... but so what? Just back up 2 steps and get the ball down to your feet and play it from there. End of story for 95% of head injuries in soccer.

Agree with this post. Most coaches and administrators are afraid to speak to change.
The push for change needs to come from the outside (parents, doctors). the athletes are at risk and the coaches are afraid to "change the game". The brain is more important than the game.