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Abstract
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OBJECTIVE: To determine the characteristics of potential concussive events (PCEs) in professional soccer.
BACKGROUND: Soccer players are at risk of sustaining sport-related concussions. The acute and chronic effects of concussive and sub-concussive impacts to the head are potentially detrimental to both players and healthcare systems worldwide. Identifying patterns in the nature and characteristics of these injuries may help sporting organizations understand how to reduce the burden of sport-related brain injuries.
DESIGN/METHODS: The present study analyzed the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups (WC), and the 2016 Euro Cup (EC). Between the three tournaments, a total of 179 professional international matches were played. The researchers collected data pertaining to PCEs including mechanism of injury, location on the head, and number of concussion symptoms.
RESULTS: A total of 237 PCEs were identified over 179 matches (1.32 per match, 40.12 per 1,000 hours of exposure). The most common mechanism of injury was elbow-to-head (n = 68, 28.7%), followed by head-to-head (n = 55, 23.2%) and hand/fist-to-head (n = 36, 15.2%). The impact locations most frequently affected were the frontal region (n = 54, 22.8%), followed by the parietal and occipital regions (n = 47, 19.8%), temporal region (n = 46, 19.4%), anterior surface of the mandible (n = 43, 18.1%), and nasal/maxilla region (n = 39, 16.5%). Most players (n = 210, 88.6%) showed two or more signs of concussion.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study intended to investigate the prevalence, identification and nature of PCEs in professional soccer tournaments. Our findings indicate that different contexts and mechanisms of head contact and contact to different regions of the head can be associated with varying signs of concussion. Ultimately, promoting and enforcing enhanced concussion prevention initiatives in elite soccer can have an impact at all levels of the game. These findings may assist physicians, athletes, soccer organizations and other stakeholders worldwide with the care of injured players and the implementation of new rules and regulations to better protect their players.
Language: en |