Dangers of headers
The header, the soccer skill of redirecting a ball in flight with one’s head, may be bad for your health. Evidence is mounting that repeated heading in soccer causes subconcussive blows to the head that can lead to traumatic brain injury (TBI), impaired neuropsychological function, and may have been a factor in one death.
SOURCES: "Soccer Heading is Associated with White Matter Microstructural and Cognitive Abnormalities," "Radiology," June 11 2013; "White Matter Integrity in the Brains of Professional Soccer Players Without a Symptomatic Concussion," The Journal of the American Medical Association; "A Comprehensive Prospective Analysis of Soccer Heading among Male and Female Collegiate Soccer Athletes," Elizabeth Anne Larson, Humboldt State University; ALS Association; Albuquerque Journal; Boston University School of Medicine; Sports Legacy Institute
James Abundis/Globe Staff