Filed at 5:26 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) -- As children across America put on their shin guards
and head to the fields, the Institute of Medicine is reminding parents that
soccer can be dangerous, leading to concussions and other head injuries.
Concussions are common in soccer, and coaches and parents need better
training to identify and treat young athletes and prevent them from
suffering further, life-threatening head injuries, the institute said.
``A lot of people, parents anyway, found soccer more appealing for their
kids because they saw it as less dangerous than football,'' said Janet Joy,
who prepared the review. ``But the fact is, concussions are just as frequent
in soccer.''
Players can get concussions from heading the ball, colliding, running
into goalposts or hitting their heads on the ground. A player who sustains a
second concussion before recovering from the first may suffer brain swelling
that could lead to brain damage and death.
Because young people's brains are still developing, they may be more at
risk for serious injury from concussions than adults, the report said.
About 19 million Americans played soccer in 2001, making it one of the
fastest growing team sports, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers
Association.
The report was compiled from doctors' statements at an Institute of
Medicine workshop last October on the long-term effects of the game on
children's brains. While the report makes no conclusions on the long-term
dangers of playing soccer or, specifically, heading balls, it says more
studies are needed.
``The most critical studies haven't been done,'' Joy said.
Adults often use unreliable methods to diagnose concussions, the report
says. Coaches frequently depend on athletes to speak up when they think they
have a concussion, but players are no more aware of how to diagnose the
condition than adults and may ignore symptoms so they can keep playing.
``A kid is going to lie to go back into the game,'' said Don Kirkendall
of the University of North Carolina's department of physical education,
exercise and sports sciences. ``They're going to say, 'Yeah, I'm fine. ...
No, I'm not dizzy.'''
Coaches should ask their players about recent memories; deep-seated ones,
such as what school they attend, are not affected by concussions, said
Kirkendall, who spoke at the conference.
``You ask the kid: 'Who passed the ball? What hit you? What was the first
thing of you to hit the ground? Can you describe the play?''' Kirkendall
said.
``When in doubt, hold them out,'' he said.
Coaches often may not think a player has a concussion unless she loses
consciousness. But a player may lose and regain consciousness within seconds
-- before anyone realizes she is hurt and the referee has a chance to stop
the game.
``Officials at these games should be educated about the signs and
symptoms of concussions, because typically it's the referee who stops the
game,'' Joy said. ``If the referee has no idea what a concussion might be,
they might leave the player in danger.''
Concussions are difficult to diagnose. Symptoms -- including headaches,
disorientation, memory problems and loss of consciousness -- are not unique
to concussions. Furthermore, not all victims have all the symptoms, and
players may not show signs for days after the injury occurs.
Jim Sheldon, executive director of the National Soccer Coaches
Association of America, said coaches in all sports need better training to
diagnose concussions.
``Pick your sport -- hockey, baseball, football. I don't think there's
been enough education for coaches in any youth sport to really diagnose a
concussion,'' he said.
The NSCAA, a coaching education group, recommends that its members not
stress heading drills among children 10 or younger. The group also advises
coaches to get immediate medical attention if there is any question about
whether a child has suffered a concussion, Sheldon said.
Doctors involved in the workshop recommended that objective, quantitative
tests be used to assess a player's brain functioning and that a qualified
physician examine the athlete, instead of leaving health decisions solely to
the coach.
The physician and coach also should consider whether the player has a
history of concussions and the likelihood -- based on factors such as field
conditions and roughness of play -- that he could be injured again.
The Institute of Medicine is part of the National Academy of Sciences, a
private organization chartered by Congress to advise the government on
scientific matters.
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On the Net:
Institute of Medicine: http://www.iom.edu
National Soccer Coaches Association of America: http://www.nscaa.com
