UD researchers study effects of soccer heading
UD grad student Chandra Lloyd has her balance checked by researchers (from left) Thomas Kaminski, Gregory Gutierrez and Joseph Glutting in UD’s Human Performance Laboratory.
4:15 p.m., Dec. 7, 2007--While most soccer players, coaches and fans know that heading is an important weapon in any player's arsenal, parents remain concerned about safety issues and the possible negative long-term effects associated with striking the ball with one's head.

A recent study by a team of UD researchers has found that heading by female high school and collegiate soccer players does not produce harmful effects in short-term neurocognitive function.

The study, which appeared in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, “Purposeful Heading During a Season Does not Influence Cognitive Function or Balance in Female Soccer Players,” was authored by Thomas W. Kaminski, associate professor in the Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences, Joseph Glutting, professor of psychology in the School of Education, April M. Wikstrom, a physican's assistant with Associated Orthopedic Specialists (Ocala, Fla.), and Gregory M. Gutierrez, a doctoral candidate in UD's Biomechanics and Movement Program.

“For several years now, soccer heading has gotten a bad rap as potentially being detrimental to brain function,” Kaminski said. “Because heading is such an important part of the soccer match, further studies examining the influence of this aspect of the game were warranted.”

The biggest problem with some of the earlier studies reporting on purposeful heading, Kaminski said, was that they were often based on anecdotal accounts.

“Ours is the first study to document heading exposures in both collegiate and high school female soccer players,” Kaminski said. “It indicates that at least in the short-term, there appears to be no deleterious effects on neurocognitive function.”

Results were based on a battery of neuropsychological and balance tests given before and after the soccer season to 71 female participants ranging in age from 14-24 years of age. Participants in the study included both high school and collegiate soccer players.

In a modified Romberg test, used as a measure of postural stability, participants were asked to stand on the leg they used to kick the ball for 30 seconds per trial, with a 30-second practice trial preceding each test variation. Participants performed two trials of each of the four variations of the test in random order. The report noted that the total number of errors in all eight trials was recorded and used in the analysis.

“Because balance is affected in a typical head injury, this is a good test to use,” Kaminski said. “If soccer heading is bad, this is the test that will show it.”

According to the published study, “the two-part Wechsler Digit Span test was used to assess concentration and immediate memory recall. The test required participants to repeat a number of strands that increased in length, first in forward order (digits forward) and then in reverse (digits backwards).”

Also used was the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test to measure verbal memory, with participants being asked to repeat and recognize certain words from a list containing 12 words.

“For the high school players, we used laptops that we took to their respective schools,” Kaminski said. “The athletes enjoyed taking the tests, because they knew it was for the benefit of the game.”

Kaminski said that while he was not necessarily surprised by the findings, he believes that it is important that the public know the study results.

“There is a controlled soccer environment that produces players who know how to head the ball,” Kaminski said. “If heading is done properly, there are no bad results.”

Heading is not that much of an issue for younger players, because the ball is mostly kept on the ground, Kaminski said.

“As players grow older, around ages 9-10, they begin to learn how to head a ball,” Kaminski said. “Most players know when they are ready to start heading, which is usually anywhere from ages 12-14.”

The report is important, because such studies on these groups had not been done before, Kaminski said.

“We were the first to document and use the neurological guidelines required by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association [FIFA],” Kaminski said. “It is all about the preservation of the game, and our data shows that heading is a pretty safe event.”

Kaminski said that the study also suggests the need for a long-term study, because any negative effects of heading are not likely apparent through the course a singe season.

“We have to continue to collect data on players through the years to monitor the long-term effects of heading in soccer,” Kaminski said. “Ideally we would track students through four years of high school, and hopefully in some cases through four years of college. At present, the research team is utilizing soccer players from several Wilmington, Del., area high schools, including A.I. du Pont High School, Wilmington Friends and St. Mark's High School, as well as intercollegiate players from UD.”

Glutting, who performed the statistical analyses of the test results, said it was interesting being involved in this particular type of research project.

“This was my first study on the topic, and I had a great time,” Glutting said. “The topic was very interesting, and, unlike a lot of studies where I don't understand the variables, I understood them here.”

Article by Jerry Rhodes
Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson