Heading, Unintentional Head Impact Linked to CNS Symptoms in Adult Amateur Soccer

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and Richard Saitz, MD, MPH, FACP, DFASAM

In adult amateur soccer, heading and unintentional head impacts are each independently associated with increased risk for central nervous system (CNS) symptoms, according to a study in Neurology.

Over 200 amateur adult soccer players completed at least one online survey assessing soccer activity, heading, and unintentional head impacts in the prior 2 weeks. Participants averaged 38 headers over 2 weeks; over a third reported unintentional head impacts (e.g., head-to-head, head-to-elbow). In addition, 20% reported moderate-to-severe CNS symptoms, including dizziness and being knocked unconscious.

After multivariable adjustment, even one unintentional head impact was associated with three times the odds of CNS symptoms, relative to no unintentional impacts. In addition, the highest quartile of heading was associated with three times the odds of symptoms relative to the lowest quartile (of note, the median number of headers in the highest quartile was 125).

Dr. John Probasco, editor-in-chief of NEJM Journal Watch Neurology, says the observed short-term effects of heading and unintentional impacts "raise concern for possible longer-term effects, warranting further study."