Symptoms of central nervous system disorder due to soccer heading

During heading, soccer players purposefully hit the ball with an unprotected head. Heading can lead to a wide range of nervous system disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the symptoms of centeral nervous system (CNS) disorder caused by heading. The 2w-HeadCount Questionnaire was used to count the number of head-to-ball kicks. Collected data from 52 football players (30 U-21 players with a mean age of 19.21±1.10 and a mean experience of 4.37±1.03 years and 22 retired footballers with a mean age of 44.59±1.22 and a mean experience of 18.14±1.81 years) were compared. From 16660 exposure sessions per year (training and matches), 89384 headings and 249 symptoms of CNS disorder were observed. The results showed that the incidence rate was 90.62 heading per 1000 hours exposure. Defenders reported the highest number of heading. The number of heading per year was not significantly different between play positions (P=0.698). The incidence of head impacts was 0.55 in match and 0.45 in training (0.82 mild and 0.18 moderate and higher severity). Retirees have experienced more of these symptoms in match and U-21 in practice. The incidence of head injuries due to non-heading mechanisms was significantly different between U-21 and retired footballers (P=0.00). The results showed that the incidence rate of heading technique in Iranian footballers is high. It is estimated that Iranian footballers perform heading above the concussion threshold. Therefore, the need to implement restrictive guidelines in young footballers is suggested.