Heading a soccer ball could leave lasting damage

In a study that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s Sports Concussion Conference (20–22 July, IN, USA), University of Delaware (DE, USA) researchers have found that soccer players who head the ball more often are more likely to have balance problems. “Soccer headers are repetitive subconcussive head impacts that may be associated with problems with thinking and memory skills and structural changes in the white matter of the brain,” commented study author John Jeka, Chair, Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Delaware. “But the effect of headers on balance control has not been studied.” The...