Header ban linked with 25.6% reduced risk for concussions among youth soccer players
Key takeaways:
- A header ban and practice limits were associated with a reduced risk for concussions among youth soccer players.
- The policy was associated with a 25.6% decreased relative risk for concussions.
SAN DIEGO — The United States Soccer Federation issued a policy in 2015 that banned headers and implemented header practice limits for youth soccer players in hopes of reducing soccer-related concussions.
According to the published results, the policy was associated with a 25.6% decreased relative risk for soccer-related concussions and ED visits among youth players compared with data from before the header ban and practice limits were implemented.
Eugenia Lin, MD, orthopedic surgery resident at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, and colleagues performed a retrospective cohort study that analyzed the effectiveness of the policy. The results were presented at American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting.
“Pediatric concussions often have longer symptomatic courses. [Pediatric patients] are more vulnerable to symptoms due to the developing brains of children compared with adults,” Lin told Healio.
She added, “The initiative banned headers for players aged 10 years or younger and limited players aged 11 to 13 years to practicing headers for a maximum of 30 minutes per week.”
According to Lin, prior research found high rates of compliance across youth soccer organizations after the policy was implemented.
Lin and colleagues used the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database to study concussion incidences and ED visits in youth soccer players (aged 6 to 17 years) from 2012 to 2023.
Overall, they found concussion incidence as a percentage of all soccer-related injuries was 8.2% from 2012 to 2015 and 6.1% from 2020 to 2023. After multivariable regression analysis, they found players were less likely to have a soccer-related concussion from 2020 to 2023 vs. 2012 to 2015 (OR = 0.75; 95% CI, 0.69-0.81).
During the study period, players aged 14 to 17 years had a rate decrease of 3.1%, players aged 10 to 13 years had a rate decrease of 1.7% and players aged 6 to 9 years had a rate decrease of 0.5%.
Lin and colleagues found players aged 10 to 13 years (OR = 1.3; 95% CI, 1.16-1.45), players aged 14 to 17 years (OR = 1.79; 95% CI, 1.61-1.99) and players who were women (OR = 1.53; 95% CI, 1.43-1.63) had the greatest odds of concussion.
“This study supports continued policy and player awareness efforts,” Lin said. “Next would be to evaluate the long-term impact these policies have or to focus on patient outcomes rather than epidemiological data.”
Reference:
Kaminski TW, et al. Sci Med Footb. 2022;doi:10.1080/24733938.2021.1991586.
For more information:
Eugenia Lin, MD, can be reached at lin.eugenia@mayo.edu.
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Sullivan GR, et al. Paper 121. Presented at: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting; March 10-14, 2025; San Diego.
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