Several recent studies have revealed that high caliber European professional
soccer players often have diminished levels of neurological functioning, yet no study has
been able to identify the specific aspect of soccer participation responsible for these
decreases. In an effort to identify a source of mild traumatic brain injury present in
everyday participation in soccer, this study investigated whether a single bout of heading
a soccer ball would have acute detrimental, measurable effects on sensorimotor and
neurocognitive functioning. We hypothesized that subjects would exhibit significant
changes in postural stability, memory, and concentration immediately after an acute bout
of repeated heading a soccer ball. Additionally, we evaluated the protective effect(s)
associated with wearing a mouthguard while performing the acute bout of heading.
Twenty-eight elite level soccer players (mean age, 20.9 �� 2.5 yrs) were randomly
assigned to one of three experimental groups: Headers with mouthguard (n=10),
Headers with no mouthguard (n=10), and Control (n=8). Subjects in the two treatment
groups performed 12 headers of soccer balls projected at 40 km/hr from an electric soccer
ball-launching machine. Postural stability was evaluated using a Biodex Stability
System, while memory and concentration were assessed using Wechsler Digit Span
(WDS) tests (digits forward and digits backward) in a 3 x 2 factorial ANOVA design (��=0.05). There were no significant main effects or interactions among the three measures
of postural stability scores in the three groups (p>0.05). The WDS Forward group
means ranged from 10.4 �� 1.8 to 13.5 �� 1.2 while the WDS Backward means ranged
from 6.4 �� 1.1 to 7.7 �� 3.0, but were not different among the groups (p>0.05). We
concluded that a single bout of 12 soccer headers approximating the number of headers
performed during a typical NCAA Division I-A soccer practice did not produce
significant deficits in postural stability, memory, or concentration. While our findings
are similar to several recent studies, we suggest that more sensitive measurement tools
such as ImPACT neurocognitive testing and functional magnetic resonance imaging be
utilized to determine the effects of acute as well as chronic exposure to headers in soccer
players. / Graduation date: 2003
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/31522 |
| Date | 01 November 2002 |
| Creators | Arthur-Banning, Skye |
| Contributors | Harter, Rod A. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
Page generated in 0.0866 seconds