A new study has determined that female soccer players in the United States have the highest rate of concussions among nine sports including football, but also that female athletes had much higher concussion rates compared to males in the same sports, according to its author Dr. Wellington Hsu, a professor of orthopedics at Chicago’s Northwestern University.
So what’s causing the concussions in girls’ soccer games? The study cited three specific reasons: “heading” the ball, a lack of protective gear, and an emphasis on contact during the game. In fact, girl soccer players suffered 4.50 concussions per 10,000 athlete exposures, according to a separate 2015 study by the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics.
Roughly 300,000 teenagers who participate in high school sports in the United States are diagnosed with concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI).
Related: High School Football Players Say Concussions Won’t Sideline Them
According to the news release by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, this new study analyzed data compiled between 2005 and 2015 based on 41,000 injuries sustained by athletes in nine high school sports. The sports included in the study included boys baseball, basketball, football, soccer and wrestling. The girls sports studied were softball, basketball, soccer and volleyball.
Specifically, the study found that concussion rates were higher for girls’ soccer than in boys’ football over the five-year-period between 2010 and 2015.
Additionally, the concussion rate in girls’ soccer was far more common than any other sport observed in the study in the 2014-2015 school calendar year.
Another finding by the study was that participation in these sports went up 1.04-fold, while concussions were diagnosed to rise 2.2-fold.
The findings will hopefully lead to police changes and prevention measures that will make the sports safer for these young people and ultimately reduce the number of concussions.
The study’s findings, considered to be preliminary research until published in a peer-reviewed journal, were presented this week at a meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in San Diego.
Common Signs, Symptoms of Concussion
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Difficulty remembering
- Sensitivity to light/sound
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling in a fog
- Difficulty with academics/focus
Causes of Concussion
Liability for Concussions
If you have suffered a concussion due to a negligent act or a motor vehicle accident, it’s important that you seek immediate medical care. Once you have seen the doctor, consider getting legal help to ensure you are fairly compensated for your financial losses.
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