Football season is just around the corner in America!
As we gear up, we wanted to highlight a new publication by Dr. Pamilla Castillo Rocha, a neurologist at the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, FL, on the “football” that the rest of the world thinks of when you say the word. Dr. Rocha just published a meta-analysis (i.e., review of published research papers) she spearheaded, “A Narrative Review of Soccer-Related Concussion Management in Children and Adults Over the Past 10 Years.”
This comprehensive review analyzed studies from 2013 to 2023 on soccer-related concussion management. Some of the key takeaways are surprising:
-Increase in Soccer-Related Concussions (SRC): Despite a reduction in concussions across various sports, SRCs have notably increased.
-Higher Incidence in Females: SRCs are more frequent in females (57.6%) compared to males (44.3%).
-Mechanism of Injury: Player-to-player interaction is the most frequent cause, with midfielders being the most affected position.
-Importance of Early Diagnosis: Early diagnosis by certified athletic trainers within 24 hours is crucial, with SCAT and ImPACT tools commonly utilized.
This publication is a valuable resource for both the concussion and soccer communities. Surprisingly, concussions are on the rise in soccer, and in particular females have a higher incidence of injury. The higher incidence of concussion in females is something that has been reported previously by New Zealand researchers, and in the US particularly for high school aged girls, according to the US National High School Sports Related Injury Surveillance Study.
The way players are injured is another important finding in this meta-analysis. Players and coaches can now teach specifically around the information that midfielders are most often injured and player-to-player interactions are the greatest cause of concussions in soccer.
Soccer, the world’s football, is a great sport that so many people enjoy playing and watching. Together, we can make it a safer one for all.