Concussion Headbands: Are They Worth Wearing?

 Concussion Headbands: Are They Worth Wearing?

Are you a player, parent, or coach concerned about the protection of an athlete's head while playing in a contact sport? Have you seen or heard of the use of a "concussion headband" and wondered if it's effective? Continue reading to learn more about this piece of equipment, specifically when used in soccer!

Introduction:

The game of soccer is known to incorporate an intense level of physicality and copious amounts of heading, especially at the higher levels of play. As a result, players often endure blows to the head and upper extremities. These instances of head-contact attribute to the prevalence of sports-related concussions that are being observed in soccer today. Concussions account for 22% of all soccer injuries. Having caught global attention, the game of soccer has witnessed regulations being made to restrict youth players from being able to participate in heading actions during play. In an attempt to combat this issue, protective headgear that has been approved for game use, has been developed. When determining just how effective these headbands are in terms of protective and preventative properties, there is no definitive answer. However, there may be a certain population that can gain beneficial effects from this tool. 

What research has to say:

According to experimental findings, there are three major factors to consider in the onset of a sports-related concussion: gender, age, and the mechanism of injury.

1. Female athletes are twice as likely as males to suffer from a sports-related concussion.
2. The majority of cases of sports-related concussions come from the adolescent and adult populations.
3. Head-to-head collisions proved to have the most severe effects when resulting concussive episodes. 

Practical Applications: 

Due to contradictory research findings when determining the effectiveness of the headbands, there is a necessity for future studies to be conducted. Such studies should include:

1. Mandating that adolescent and adult female soccer players wear concussion headbands during a competitive season (games and practices), to allow researchers to collect head injury data and compare with teams that did not enforce headband use.
2.  Assessing the differences between the various prototypes of concussion headbands that are currently on the market, differentiating between the foam materials and the correlations of head injury outcomes 
3. Considering the effects of the newly launched "Q-Collar" device, to modify design models
4. Teaching proper heading techniques to prepare players for head contact and ensure that they are able to preform maneuvers properly

In Conclusion:

The seriousness of sports-related concussions in soccer emphasizes the need for an intervention. For soccer players and lovers of the game, it is ideal to find a way to decrease the instances of concussions, without altering the manner of play. The use of protective concussion headbands haven't showed any negative effects when being utilized. Since there is a certain population of soccer players that are significantly more at risk for a sports-related concussion, they should consider wearing the device. Female adolescent and adult soccer players have the potential to gain the most benefits from a concussion headband. 

Additional Resources:

1. Read about what some of the creators behind the concussion headbands themselves have to say: https://storelli.com/blogs/the-storelli-blog/soccer-concussion-headband-virtues
2. Learn more about the statistics among girls' soccer and concussion rates: https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2022/10/20/experts--girls--soccer-has-second-highest-rate-of-concussions-after-football

About the Author:

Kylee Murphy is a senior at Westfield State University, majoring in Movement Science with a concentration in Sports Medicine. Kylee has been a life-long soccer player and has had personal experience with sports-related concussions. She is a four-year member of the women's soccer team at WSU and intends on continuing her involvement in athletics and movement in the coming years. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school to become a Sports Medicine Nurse Practitioner. Kylee can be contacted at kyleemurphy53@gmail.com.

References: 

Delaney, J. S., Al-Kashmiri, A., Drummond, R., & Correa, J. A. (2008). The effect of protective headgear on head injuries and concussions in adolescent football (soccer) players. British Journal of Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2007.037689

Elbin, R. J., Beatty, A., Covassin, T., Schatz, P., Hydeman, A., & Kontos, A. P. (2015). A preliminary examination of neurocognitive performance and symptoms following a bout of soccer heading in athletes wearing protective soccer headbands. Research in Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1080/15438627.2015.1005293

Kontos, A. P., Eagle, S. R., Putukian, M., Kirkendall, D., Chiampas, G., & Kaminski, T. (2020). Concussions in U.S. youth soccer players: Results from the U.S. Soccer Online Concussion Survey. Science and Medicine in Football. 

McGuine, T., Post, E., Pfaller, A. Y., Hetzel, S., Schwarz, A., Brooks, M. A., & Kliethermes, S. A. (2020). Does soccer headgear reduce the incidence of sport-related concussion? A cluster, randomised controlled trial of adolescent athletes. British Journal of Sports Medicine. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2018-100238

Navarro, R. R. (2011). Protective Equipment and the Prevention of Concussion - What Is the Evidence? Current Sports Medicine Reports. doi: 10.1249/JSR.0b013e318205e072

Withnall, C., Shewchenko, N., Wonnacott, M., & Dvorak, J. (2005). Effectiveness of headgear in football. British Journal of Sports Medicine. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2005.019174