Here it is another Sunday night and I managed to get in a couple of football games. Well, by “get in” I really mean I was able to sneak in fifteen minutes here and there between soccer, cleaning around the house after Thanksgiving, raking leaves, etc. but it’s more than I normally get to watch. And so much attention focused on concussion, too. Jeepers, after each big hit the announcers were talking about how they need to take extra caution […] Read more »

  Grade One – relatively mild with certainly no loss of consciousness or memory and there may be a level of confusion. Symptoms usually last less than 15 minutes. Recommended return to play is anywhere between 15 minutes (first concussion sufferers) to 1 week (repeat concussions). Grade Two – these are much more severe and ARE accompanied by confusion, memory loss that lasts from minutes to as long as hours. No loss of consciousness. If a Grade Two concussion is […] Read more »

Understanding concussions is essential for any parent of a child or teenager that plays soccer, whether they are a serious player or just get out there for fun. Everyone’s brain is a very soft organ that is enclosed in spinal fluid. The hard skull protects the brain and the surrounding fluid. If your child bangs his head in any way, the fluid that encases the brain acts as sort of a cushion to keep the organ from slamming into his […] Read more »

Perhaps it’s an old wives’ tale or just people not understanding completely but too many times I hear of kids being told to “get back as soon as you can”, “you’ll be behind in school if you don’t get back to school”, etc. If you really understood a soccer concussion you’d begin to appreciate what has happened to the brain. None of these parents, teachers, and soccer coaches mean any harm at all it’s just they may not know the […] Read more »

How about kids learn to play soccer, develop their foot skills and have a little bit of sportsmanship? As you’ve seen here on this site, certainly there are times when physical contact is just not avoidable and may result in a concussion during a soccer game. Your kid will trip over another, hit the goal post and/or inadvertently strike heads with someone; some soccer injuries may be avoidable and some not. Hopefully it does not result in a concussion, torn […] Read more »

There’s much speculation as to why girls incur a soccer concussion at a higher rate than boys – even though they both play the same types of sports (e.g. basketball, soccer, hockey, etc.).  Several theories exist and it seems that there’s not that much conclusive evidence to ether verify or negate most of them. Here are some popular explanations:  1. Structure of the neck  Boys generally have a greater muscle mass and density in their necks than girls. It could […] Read more »