Background:Soccer players head the ball repetitively throughout their careers; this is also a potential mechanism for a concussion. Although not all soccer headers result in a concussion, these subconcussive impacts may impart acceleration, deceleration, and rotational forces on the brain, leaving structural and functional deficits. Stronger neck musculature may reduce head-neck segment kinematics.Hypothesis:The relationship between anthropometrics and soccer heading kinematics will not differ between sexes. The relationship between anthropometrics and soccer heading kinematics will not differ between ball speeds.Study Design:Pilot, cross-sectional design.Level of Evidence:Level 3.Methods:Division I soccer athletes (5 male, 8 female) were assessed for head-neck anthropometric and neck strength measurements in 6 directions (ie, flexion, extension, right and left lateral flexions and rotations). Participants headed the ball 10 times (25 or 40 mph) while wearing an accelerometer secured to their head. Kinematic measurements (ie, linear acceleration and rotational velocity) were recorded at 2 ball speeds.Results:Sex differences were observed in neck girth (t = 5.09, P < 0.001), flexor and left lateral flexor strength (t = 3.006, P = 0.012 and t = 4.182, P = 0.002, respectively), and rotational velocity at both speeds (t = −2.628, P = 0.024 and t = −2.227, P = 0.048). Neck girth had negative correlations with both linear acceleration (r = −0.599, P = 0.031) and rotational velocity at both speeds (r = −0.551, P = 0.012 and r = −0.652, P = 0.016). Also, stronger muscle groups had lower linear accelerations at both speeds (P < 0.05).Conclusion:There was a significant relationship between anthropometrics and soccer heading kinematics for sex and ball speeds.Clinical Relevance:Neck girth and neck strength are factors that may limit head impact kinematics.

Despite sex differences in the clinical incidence of SRCs and time loss from participation in high school sports, the numbers of missed school days are relatively similar between sexes.

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Context:  Previous literature on sport-related concussion (SRC) knowledge and reporting behaviors has been limited to high school and National Collegiate Athletic Association collegiate athletes; however, knowledge regarding collegiate club-sport athletes is limited. Objective:  To determine the level of SRC knowledge and reporting behaviors among collegiate club-sport athletes and to investigate differences between athletes in traditional and nontraditional sports. Design:  Cross-sectional study. Setting:  Survey. Patients or Other Participants:  A total of 410 athletes (247 males, 163 females) involved in traditional (n = 244) or nontraditional (n = 165) collegiate club sports. Main Outcome Measure(s):  The survey consisted of demographics, recognition of SRC signs and symptoms, general SRC knowledge, and reasons why athletes would not report SRCs. The independent variable was sport type. Sport-related concussion signs and symptoms and general knowledge were assessed by the frequency of correct answers to SRC signs and symptoms and general knowledge questions. Sport-related concussion-reporting behavior frequencies were evaluated by asking participants to indicate reasons why they did not or would not report an SRC. Results:  The SRC signs and symptoms knowledge score was 23.01 ± 3.19 and general SRC knowledge score was 36.49 ± 4.16 (maximal score = 43). No differences were present for SRC signs and symptoms knowledge (F1,408 = 1.99, P = .16) or general SRC knowledge (F1,408 = 3.28, P = .07) between athletes in traditional and nontraditional collegiate club sports. The most common reason for not reporting an SRC was not recognizing it as a serious injury (n = 165, 40.3%). Chi-square tests demonstrated significant relationships between sport type and 5 reasons for not reporting an SRC. Conclusions:  The participants displayed moderate to high levels of knowledge of SRCs but indicated they had failed to or would fail to report SRCs for a variety of reasons. The lack of sports medicine coverage and disconnect between knowledge and injury recognition may make collegiate club-sport athletes more likely to participate while concussed.

Context: Past work has identified sex differences in sport-related concussion (SRC) incidence and recovery time; however, few have examined sex differences in specific recovery trajectories: time to symptom resolution, return-to-academics, and return-to-athletic activity across collegiate sports. Objective: To examine sex differences in SRC recovery trajectories across a number of varsity sports with differing levels of contact. Design: Descriptive Epidemiology Study. Setting: College varsity and club sports. Patients or Other Participants: SRCs sustained by student-athletes (N=1,974; 38.7% female) participating in Ivy League sports were tracked from 2013/14-2018/19. Intervention(s): Athletic trainers collected concussive injury and recovery characteristics as part of the Ivy League-Big Ten Epidemiology of Concussion Study's surveillance system. Main Outcome Measure(s): Time to symptom resolution, return-to-academics, and return-to-limited and full athletic activity were collected. Survival analyses determined time from injury to each recovery outcome for males and females by sport. Peto tests compared recovery outcomes between males and female athletes and by sport. Results: The median time to symptom resolution overall was 9 days [IQR:4,18], return-to-academics was 8 days [IQR:3,15], return-to-limited activity was 12 days [IQR:8,23], and return-to-full activity was 16 days [IQR:10,29]. There were significant differences overall between sexes for median time to symptom resolution (males: 8 days [IQR:4,17], females: 9 days [IQR:5,20], p=0.029) and return-to-academics (males: 7 days [IQR:3,14], females: 9 days [IQR:4,17], p&lt;.001), but not return to athletics (limited activity, p=0.107; full activity, p=0.578). Within-sport comparisons found that female lacrosse athletes had longer symptom resolution (p=0.030) and return to academics (p=0.035) compared to males, while male volleyball athletes took longer to return to limited (p=0.020) and full (p=0.049) athletic activity compared to females. Conclusion: There were significant differences in recovery timelines between sexes. Females experienced longer symptom duration and time to return-to-academics compared to male athletes, but females and males presented similar timelines for return-to-athletics.