[eBook] RTS with Certainty: Evidence Base for Balanced Decision-Making Pertaining to Youth Participation, Safety, and Efficiency
Football promotes mental and physical benefits (cardiovascular, metabolic, musculoskeletal, psychological), and ensures social and emotional health. Purposeful heading is a common practice among football athletes, and rising injury rates have affected adult willingness to allow their children to participate in tackle football. Soccer has recorded a high number of injuries, more than basketball and volleyball, and carries a 1000 times higher risk compared to industrial occupations. Studies undertaken in 2012–2016 recorded that 22% soccer injuries are concussions, as a result of purposeful heading. There is an established link between purposeful heading, neurodegeneration, dementia, and motor impairment. Purposeful heading has a high incidence among youth players. Concussions may cause acute symptoms including blurred visions, loss of hunger, sleep, balance, concentration, and attention. Subconcussive impacts can cause functional and microstructural damage including ionic and metabolic shifts, microstructural damage, and impaired neurotransmission, often undiagnosable. Sometimes, loss of consciousness (LOC) may occur. Concussions can cause Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), leading to disease, mortality, and morbidity worldwide. Concussion awareness has been rising between 2010–2019. A reduction in head impact exposure (HIE) has been addressed through the design of protective equipment, educational initiatives, and rule changes. Behavioral interventions, neck and trunk strength training, timely care, and the use of computational models are evidence-based interventions. A deeper understanding of the epidemiology of concussions is required to inform primary prevention in respective geographies and targeted age groups. Addressing safety concerns can improve participation. The text covers a Literature Review and Thematic Analysis of Influencing Factors, Consequences, Measurements, and Interventions Related to Heading in Soccer and Football
