Abstract
Our purpose was to determine if an acute bout of heading soccer balls adversely affected
postural control and self-reported symptoms of cerebral concussion. Thirty-one college-aged
soccer players were randomly placed into either a kicking group or a heading group.
Subjects either kicked or headed 18 soccer balls over the course of 40 minutes. Subjects
had their postural control assessed while standing on a force plate and completed
a concussion symptoms checklist on three separate occasions: prior to, immediately
following, and 24 hours after kicking or heading. There were no significant differences
between the heading and kicking groups on the postural control measures prior to,
immediately following, and 24 hours after kicking/heading. The heading group did,
however, report significantly more concussion symptoms than the kicking group immediately
after heading, but not 24 hours after heading. The number of previous concussions
sustained by subjects did not influence the effects of heading. An acute bout of soccer
heading appears to cause an increase in self-reported symptoms of cerebral concussion
lasting less than 24 hours but no quantifiable deficits in postural control. Further
research is needed to investigate the cumulative effects of soccer heading on postural
control and other objective measures of brain function.
Key words
Balance - cerebral concussion - football
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J. Hertel, PhD, ATC
Penn State University · Athletic Training Research Laboratory
269 Recreation Building · University Park · PA 16802 · USA
Phone: +1 814 865 8816
Fax: +1 814 865 1275
Email: jnh3@psu.edu
