Traumatic Brain Injury
Conservative estimates indicate that, in 2003, there were 1.5 million cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the United States, resulting in 51,000 deaths, 290,000 hospitalizations, and over 1 million emergency room visits. The incidence of TBI is especially high in children under the age of 14, many of whom participate in contact sports such as football, hockey, and lacrosse. Today, approximately 3.2 million individuals are living with long-term disabilities as a result of TBI-related injuries. Based on recent work with our long time (over 15 years) collaborators, it has become clear that these numbers are only the tip of the iceberg.
Our initial result - the one that has driven all of our subsequent efforts - was that a diagnosed concussion is not a reliable symptom. We measured statistically significant, chronic neurophysiological changes in anywhere from 50-95% of football players and similar numbers of those participating in women's soccer. In the vast majority of these cases, there were no diagnosed concussions.
The Main Points
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Head impacts in women's soccer are not that different from those in football.
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It isn't just the neurons, we have measured changes to the glial cells and endothelial cells.
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All the hits matter, especially those over 50g.
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Helmets do not provide the kind of protection they should, especially when struck on the rear aspect.