Concussive Symptoms from Repeated Head Impact in Amateur Soccer Players

To examine the short-term relation of intentional heading activity and unintentional head impacts (e.g. head to head, head to goalpost) with concussive symptoms among soccer players, researchers surveyed adult amateur soccer players using a Web-based questionnaire as part of a longitudinal study of heading and its consequences. Participants were asked to report their frequency of soccer practice and competitive games; the frequency of intentional headings associated with each; the frequency of unintentional head impacts; and how often they experienced symptoms, ranging from very low impact (no pain) to very severe (knocked unconscious) during the preceding 2 weeks.

Among 535 individuals who accessed the study portal, 222 completed at least o…