Variations in Head Impact Rates in Male and Female High School Soccer

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Colin M Huber, University of Pennsylvania; Declan A Patton, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia; Divya Jain, University of Pennsylvania; Christina L Master, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia; Susan Margulies, Emory University; Catherine C Mcdonald, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia; Kristy B Arbogast, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-06-01
• Publisher: LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2021 by the American College of Sports Medicine
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002567
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: MEDICINE AND SCIENCE IN SPORTS AND EXERCISE
• Volume: 53
• Issue: 6
• Start Page: 1245
• End Page: 1251
• Grant/Funding Information: Research reported in this publication was supported by National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01NS097549 and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
• Keywords: PEDIATRIC SPORTS MEDICINE; CONCUSSIONS; Sport Sciences; INJURY PREVENTION; EXPOSURE; CONCUSSION; HEAD INJURIES; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Science & Technology; EPIDEMIOLOGY; FOOTBALL (SOCCER); CONTACT; INJURIES

Abstract

Introduction Repetitive head impacts in soccer have been linked to short-term neurophysiological deficits, and female soccer players have higher concussion rates than males. These findings have inspired investigation into gender differences in head impact exposure and how head impact rate contributes to the cumulative effect of head impact exposure on neurological outcomes. Various periods of exposure have been used to calculate head impact rates, including head impacts per season, game, and player-hour. Purpose The aim of this study was to apply different methodological approaches to quantify and compare head impact rates by gender for two seasons of high school varsity soccer. Methods Video review was used to confirm all events recorded by a headband-mounted impact sensor and calculate playing time for all players. Impact rates were calculated per athlete exposure (presence and participation) and per player-hour (scheduled game time, individual play time, and absolute time). Results Impact rates per athlete exposure ranged from 2.5 to 3.2 for males and from 1.4 to 1.6 for females, and impact rates per player-hour ranged from 2.7 to 3.8 for males and from 1.0 to 1.6 for females. The exposure calculation method significantly affected head impact rates; however, regardless of approach, the head impact rate for males was higher, up to threefold, than for females. Individual head impact exposure varied substantially within a team with one in five players experiencing no impacts. Conclusions Overall, the gender differences found in this study indicate that males experience higher head impact exposure compared with females. Future studies are needed to understand potential clinical implications of variability in head impact exposure and reconcile higher female concussion rates with the reduced head impact rates presented herein.