Collegiate women's soccer players suffer greater cumulative head impacts than their high school counterparts.
Soccer is the source of the highest concussion rates among female athletes and is associated with neurological deficits at many levels of play. Despite its importance to our understanding of head trauma in female athletes, little is known about the number and magnitude of head impacts experienced by female soccer players. Head impacts experienced by high school and collegiate athletes were quantified using xPatch sensors (X2 Biosystems) affixed behind the right ear of each player. The average peak translational acceleration (PTA) sustained by players at the high school level was significantly lower than that of the collegiate players, but the average peak angular accelerations (PAA) were not significantly different. Given that the collegiate players took many more impacts throughout the season, their mean cumulative exposure to translational (cPTA) and angular accelerations (cPAA) were significantly higher than those of the high school players. Additional research is required to determine whether the differences in cumulative exposure are responsible for the elevated risk of concussion in collegiate soccer players or if there are additional risk factors.
Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
Emily
E
McCuen
Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
Diana
D
Svaldi
Department of Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
Katherine
K
Breedlove
Department of Athletics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
Nicole
N
Kraz
School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
Brian
B
Cummiskey
School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
Evan L
EL
Breedlove
School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
Jessica
J
Traver
School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
Katherine F
KF
Desmond
Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States; School of Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
Robert E
RE
Hannemann
Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
Erica
E
Zanath
Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
Alexandra
A
Guerra
Department of Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
Larry
L
Leverenz
Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States; School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
Thomas M
TM
Talavage
Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States; School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States; Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States. Electronic address: enauman@purdue.edu.
Eric A
EA
Nauman
D000054:Acceleration; D000293:Adolescent; D056352:Athletes; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006257:Head; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D012916:Soccer / Q000293:injuries*; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
Subconcussive head impacts; TBI; Traumatic brain Injury