Heading a soccer ball could lead to cognitive problems
THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2013 12:18 PM

While soccer players primarily use their feet over the course of a game, sometimes it is appropriate for them to use their head as well. While heading a soccer ball can be an effective move, it also has the potential to cause harm to players, based on new research from Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Researchers from this institution found that soccer players who head the ball on a regular basis may also be more likely to develop brain abnormalities that are similar to those found among people with mild traumatic brain injuries. These findings are troubling, as players head the ball six to twelve times per game, on average.

"Our study provides compelling preliminary evidence that brain changes resembling mild traumatic brain injury are associated with frequently heading a soccer ball over many years," said Michael L. Lipton of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, who worked on the study. "While further research is clearly needed, our findings suggest that controlling the amount of heading that people do may help prevent brain injury that frequent heading appears to cause."

Based on these findings, individuals who play soccer and are known to head the ball may want to take an IQ test before their next game to see if it is worth it.