Is playing soccer bad for the brain?
What is known about the consequences of accumulated brain damage from playing soccer?
It is known that contact sports such as rugby, boxing or ice hockey, if not properly protected, can damage our brains due to the blows received in them.
Many players of these sports have gone on to develop dementia and mental disorders associated with brain injuries that have led to all kinds of psychiatric symptoms at the end of their lives.
Although football is not considered a contact sport, its popularity has raised the question of whether it can cause problems for our brain, since it also receives impacts to the head. Is playing soccer bad for the brain? This is the question we are going to answer below.
Is playing soccer bad for the brain?
The practice of sports has always been recommended. Any sporting activity is healthy, enhancing our physical and mental health since, in addition to keeping us in good shape, being physically active is a protective factor against mental disorders such as depression or anxiety and also helps prevent the onset of brain diseases such as dementia.
But despite its advantages, the practice of contact sports such as rugby, ice hockey or boxing has been associated with brain injuries and, in the long term, with neurodegenerative diseases. It is not that these sports are bad for our health, but that if they are practiced in a not very responsible and cautious way, they can cause concussions that end up in brain damage..
Soccer (European soccer) is undoubtedly the king of sports. It is practiced worldwide and, although there are countries where it is not so famous, almost every nation in the world has its own national team in this sport. Although it is not a contact sport, its popularity and the fact that passes are sometimes made with the head have led many to wonder whether it is bad for the brain to play soccer..
As is the case with contact sports, it is not that soccer in itself is bad. The practice of any sport is healthy but all of them involve certain risks that, if the appropriate safety measures are taken, the possible damages that can be suffered due to impacts to the head will be milder. In the event of a head injury, it will be necessary to follow up the affected player to ensure that the neurological damage does not go further.
Fortunately, to avoid the severity associated with these blows, many professional sports have been adopting the use of regulatory protective equipment, in addition to following rules and playing the game properly to avoid injury.. However, soccer is not characterized by having protection for the skull, despite the fact that the head is used to throw the ball, which, if done with great force, can pose a problem for our brain.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Throughout the 20th century, impacts to the head produced during the practice of sports have been increasingly related to dementias, brain diseases and mental disorders. One of the first terms used to link impact sports with brain damage was dementia pugilistica, first identified in the early 20th century in the United States.first identified in boxing players, although its diagnosis was later extended to other contact sports.
Today this term is no longer in use, being replaced by chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is a neurodegenerative condition in which the brain of the affected person has such damage due to the blows it has received in life that it induces various psychiatric conditions. a neurodegenerative condition in which the brain of the affected person has such damage due to the blows it has received in life that it induces various psychiatric conditions.. It is this degenerative condition considered to be the main culprit for professional contact sports athletes having higher dementia mortality rates than the normal population.
The innumerable number of times boxers, rugby, field hockey and soccer players receive blows to the head, despite having protection, is presumably responsible for their increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases, such as motor neuron disease or Parkinson's disease.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy can only be diagnosed post mortem.. In life, the person affected by this brain destruction manifests a wide range of symptoms. Memory problems, irritability, mood disorders, anger attacks, substance abuse, executive dysfunctions and other problems are those that mark the day-to-day life of many retired athletes who in their final years enter a maelstrom of psychiatric problems.
Are concussions important in soccer?
Contrary to what it may seem, the brain is not made of rubber, but of gelatin.. It is a tremendously soft organ that, despite being protected by a hard wall of cranial bone, is not spared from being damaged when there is a very strong blow. The brain is floating in cerebrospinal fluid, which gives it a certain freedom of movement that, when there is a cranial impact, causes it to bounce around inside the skull and cortical lesions may occur.
A fall or a hard blow to the head is enough for our brain to hit against the walls of the skull and to form hematomas, tears in the Blood vessels, nerve damage or a loss of normal brain function, both in the short and long term. both in the short and long term. These falls and blows to the head often occur in soccer players with field positions, who may pass the ball with their head or collide with each other and fall receiving a hard blow to the head.
In soccer, falls and blows to the head are rather anecdotal, uncommon when compared to contact sports.. It is true that more than one professional soccer player has had to be removed from the field because of a bad blow, but they are not frequent and, if you rest once they have been suffered, allowing the brain time to recover, these impacts are unlikely to become a future dementia.
However, there are cases of professional soccer players whose death is associated with having received many concussions. One example is the former English footballer Jeff Astle (1942-2002), a West Bromwich player. Willie Steward, a British physician, stated in a report that Astle, who died of Alzheimer's disease at the age of 59, had chronic traumatic encephalopathy as a result of the innumerable concussions he must have suffered during his lifetime. Jeff Astle was known as an expert in passing the ball with his head.
Despite Astle's case, it seems that serious brain injuries are rare but important in soccer. The likelihood of concussions varies according to position on the field, with goalkeepers being the players at the lowest risk of concussions, with a risk equivalent to one third of that of other players, who run back and forth and may collide with each other.
In a recent study conducted by Emma R. Russell and colleagues (2021). Russell and colleagues (2021) found that the risk of developing a neurodegenerative disease was about 3.5 times higher in ex-professional soccer players than in the general population.. The risk was also found to be higher among all positions of field players, being the highest among defenders who had a 5 times higher risk compared to the general population. There was a correlation between the chances of developing dementia and the length of the soccer player's professional career.
What are the signs and symptoms of a concussion?
There are several signs and symptoms that can indicate that we are suffering from a concussion while playing soccer. The symptoms of a concussion do not always appear immediately after the impact, that is why it is advisable to be careful.For this reason it is convenient to be careful and to evaluate how strong the blow has been. Among the symptoms associated with a concussion and that should concern us we have:
- Headache
- Dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
- Balance or coordination problems
- Blurred vision
- Slurred speech, slurring words and saying things that make no sense.
- Confusion and lightheadedness
- Lack of concentration and inability to make decisions
- Memory problems
- Sleep problems: drowsiness, difficulty falling asleep, insomnia...
- Sleeping more or less than usual
- Anxiety and irritability
- Depressive symptoms
Many of these symptoms coincide with those of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, only that in this case they would appear after an occasional blow on the playing field. Likewise, in order to avoid that this evolves in a long-term encephalopathy it is advisable to rest for a period of time, returning to play soccer only when a qualified professional recommends it to us after having reviewed our state of mental health.
Concussions are very delicate and, although it is possible that the person who has suffered it has the sensation of feeling better, any precaution is too little. You may no longer have a headache or feel as if you are speaking fluently, but you may still have problems with coordination, balance and speed of thought.. Only a doctor will know for sure.
But despite this common sense, the truth is that many players, both in soccer and other sports, are afraid of letting down their team or coach, feeling pressured to return to sports even though they are not yet recovered. It is for this reason that in most regulated and professional leagues in sports such as soccer, rugby, basketball and so on, there are rules about when players who have been diagnosed with concussion can return to sports.
How to prevent concussions in soccer?
At this point, we can understand that the answer to whether it is bad for the brain to play soccer is "it depends". It depends on how we play this sport, on whether we take the appropriate measures to prevent concussions, if they occur, from becoming more serious..
If we protect ourselves, follow the rules and behave with sportsmanship and in a calm manner, all we will get out of playing soccer is a good time with our friends while being physically active, which is beneficial to our health.
Here are some ways to prevent concussions some ways to prevent concussions, both in soccer and in any other sport, with or without common contacts.
1. Use the right equipment
It is vitally important to use the right equipment when playing any type of sport, not just soccer. In the case of this sport it is true that there are no helmets or head protectors, because it is not normally expected to receive a large impact on the skull.
However, since passes can also be made with the head, it is essential that the ball is of good quality, not too hard and not too hard, it is essential that the ball is of good quality, not too hard and not too old..
You can't completely prevent concussions because there will always be falls and blows, but at least the right equipment helps prevent serious injuries. the right equipment helps prevent serious injuries.
2. Play safely
It is always preferable to pass the ball with your feet rather than your head, even if the game allows it. Do not take unnecessary risks and always try to prioritize the use of the legs, limiting passes with the head..
Also, play with sportsmanship, do not push or try to make the opposing team's players fall because even if you think that they will receive the impact, you may also receive part of the impact yourself by cheating.
3. Stop when necessary
If you injure your head while playing soccer, stop playing immediately.. The coach should know when a player should stop playing to avoid serious injury.
In case it is a game without a coach, between friends and friendly, do it by yourself. Your health is above the outcome of the match and you should not take the risk of a second head injury.
A second injury to the brain can lead to the onset of second-impact syndrome which, although rare, can cause permanent brain damage and even death.
If you feel a little dizzy, ask a friend or another player to keep an eye on you by sitting next to you for a few minutes and, if necessary, accompany you to the emergency room to make sure there is no serious brain injury.
(Updated at Apr 12 / 2024)