Youth Soccer Heading Exposure and Its Effects on Clinical Outcome Measures

Abstract

Purposeful heading, in which players may use their heads to advance the ball in play, is a unique part of soccer. Clinical outcome measures used to aid in the diagnosis of a concussion have long been a cornerstone of the contemporary measurements associated with the short- and long-term effects of monitoring repetitive head impacts (RHI) and soccer heading exposure. The effects of RHI in the youth population are still unknown, therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine if heading exposure is predictive of changes in self-reported symptoms, neurocognitive functioning, gait, and balance in female youth soccer players over the course of one soccer season. Small improvements in neurocognitive functioning and gait and slight deficits in balance were observed from pre- to post-season. All changes were not clinically relevant and likely due to a practice effect. The low heading exposure in our cohort of youth soccer players was likely not enough to elicit any changes in clinical measures. In general, our clinical outcomes did not change after a season of soccer play and change scores were not predicted by heading exposure.