MEASUREMENT OF HEAD IMPACTS IN COLLEGIATE FOOTBALL PLAYERS: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HEAD IMPACT BIOMECHANICS AND ACUTE CLINICAL OUTCOME AFTER CONCUSSION Prevalence of neurocognitive and balance deficits in collegiate aged football players without clinically diagnosed concussion. Mild head injury in sports. Does Visual Performance Influence Head Impact Severity Among High School Football Athletes? Physiological and performance responses to the “FIFA 11+” (part 1): is it an appropriate warm-up? Football injuries in Australia at the élite level.
OBJECTIVE To determine the relationship between recorded head accelerations and impact locations and acute clinical outcome of symptomatology , neuropsychological , and postural stability tests after cerebral concussion in Division I collegiate football players . METHODS A prospect i ve field study was used in which accelerometers were embedded in the football helmets of 88 collegiate football players .  Linear and rotational accelerations of all head impacts sustained over the course of 2004 to 2006 National Collegiate Athletic Association football seasons were collected in real-time . Change scores were calculated on clinical measures from the players ' preseason baseline to postinjury ( within 48 h ) and regressed against the recorded linear and rotational accelerations of the head at the time of the concussion . RESULTS Thirteen concussions were recorded ranging in impact magnitudes of 60.51 to 168.71 g. Linear regression showed no significant relationships between impact magnitude ( linear or rotational acceleration ) or impact location and change scores for symptom severity , postural stability , or neurocognitive function ( P > 0.05 ) . CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that football players are concussed by impacts to the head that occur at a wide range of magnitudes and that clinical measures of acute symptom severity , postural stability , and neuropsychological function all appear to be largely independent of impact magnitude and location . Because of the varying magnitudes and locations of impacts result ing in concussion as well as other factors such as the frequency of subconcussive impacts and number of previous concussions , it may be difficult to establish a threshold for concussive injury that can be applied to all football players STUDY DESIGN Prospect i ve cohort . OBJECTIVES To identify the prevalence of neurocognitive and balance deficits in collegiate football players 48 hours following competition . BACKGROUND Neurocognitive testing , balance assessment s , and subjective report of symptoms are a commonly used test battery in examining athletes when concussion is suspected . Previous literature suggests many concussions go unreported . Little research exists examining the prevalence of neurocognitive or balance deficits in athletes who do not report concussion-like symptoms to a health care provider . METHODS Forty-five Division IA collegiate football players participated in this study . Preseason baseline scores using the  Balance Error Scoring System , the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing , and the Postconcussion Symptom Scale  were compared to posttest results obtained 48 hours following a game . Prevalence of symptoms was analyzed and reported . RESULTS Thirty-two ( 71 % ) of the 45 athletes tested demonstrated at least 1 deficit in either the Postconcussion Symptom Scale , Balance Error Scoring System , or at least 1 composite score of the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing . Nineteen of the 32 subjects demonstrated a change in 2 or more categories of neurocognitive and balance function . CONCLUSION In a cohort of football players tested 48 hours following their last game of the season , who did not seek medical attention related to a concussion , a significant number demonstrated limitations in neurocognitive and balance performance , suggesting that further research may need to be performed to improve recognition of an athlete 's deficits and to improve the ability to assess concussion . LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Differential diagnosis/symptom prevalence , level 3b Mild head injury has been recognized as producing numerous " postconcussive " symptoms that temporarily reduce an individual 's ability to function . Controversy exists over the short- and long-term effects of mild head injuries , and the effects of repeated concussive blows to the head have not been sufficiently studied . Amateur and professional athletes provide an excellent population for the examination of many aspects of postconcussive syndrome . The nature , incidence , and cognitive and emotional symptoms of mild head injury , are review ed within , the framework of professional and amateur sports . Particular attention is paid to the few available prospect i ve studies of amateur boxers and collegiate football players Objective : To compare the odds of sustaining moderate and severe head impacts , rather than mild , between high school football players with high and low visual performance . Design : Prospect i ve quasi-experimental . Setting : Clinical Research Center/On-field . Participants : Thirty-seven high school varsity football players . Interventions : Athletes completed the Nike SPARQ Sensory Station visual assessment before the season . Head impact biomechanics were captured at all practice s and games using the Head Impact Telemetry System . Main Outcome Measures : Each player was classified as either a high or low performer using a median split for each of the following visual performance measures : visual clarity , contrast sensitivity , depth perception , near – far quickness , target capture , perception span , eye – h and coordination , go/no go , and reaction time . We computed the odds of sustaining moderate and severe head impacts against the reference odds of sustaining mild head impacts across groups of high and low performers for each of the visual performance measures . Results : Players with better near – far quickness had increased odds of sustaining moderate [ odds ratios ( ORs ) , 1.27 ; 95 % confidence intervals ( CIs ) , 1.04 - 1.56 ] and severe head impacts ( OR , 1.45 ; 95 % CI , 1.05 - 2.01 ) as measured by Head Impact Technology severity profile . High and low performers were at equal odds on all other measures . Conclusions : Better visual performance did not reduce the odds of sustaining higher magnitude head impacts . Visual performance may play less of a role than expected for protecting against higher magnitude head impacts among high school football players . Further research is needed to determine whether visual performance influences concussion risk . Clinical Relevance : Based on our results , we do not recommend using visual training programs at the high school level for the purpose of reducing the odds of sustaining higher magnitude head impacts Abstract The aim of the study was to examine the post-exercise effects of the “ FIFA 11 + ” on various physical performance and physiological variables , to underst and whether this programme is an appropriate warm-up for football players . Results were compared with the literature using a meta-analytical approach . Twenty amateur male football players [ mean age 25.5 ( s ± 5.1 ) years , body mass 75(8 ) kg , height 181(6 ) cm ] participated in the study . They were tested twice before ( control period ) and once after the “ FIFA 11 + ” for : 20-m sprints , agility , vertical jump , stiffness , isometric maximal voluntary contraction ( MVC ) , rate of force development ( RFD ) , and star excursion balance test . Oxygen uptake , lactate and core temperature were also measured . Pre-post warm-up differences were found for all the performance variables ( from 1.0 to 6.2 % ; 0.015 < P < 0.001 ) with the exclusion of MVC ( −13 % ; P = 0.426 ) and RFD ( −10 % ; P = 0.205 ) . After the warm-up there was an increase ( 0.004 < P < 0.001 ) in resting oxygen uptake from 325(87 ) to 379(142 ) mL · min−1 , in core temperature from 37.3(0.3 ) to 37.7(0.3 ) ° C , and in lactate from 1.0(0.2 ) to 2.6(1.1 ) mmol · L−1 . In conclusion , the “ FIFA 11 + ” prevention programme can be considered an appropriate warm-up , inducing improvements in football players comparable with those obtained with other warm-up routines reported in the literature OBJECTIVE To determine injury profiles for the élite level competitions of football played in Australia . DESIGN Over the 1992 seasons , all injuries were prospect ively recorded from 26 clubs in football competitions which included the Australian Football League ( AFL ) , New South Wales Rugby League ( NSWRL ) and New South Wales Rugby Union ( NSWRU ) . RESULTS Some 2398 injuries were reported . In Australian Rules football , the most common injury was the hamstring tear ( 13 % ) ; this also accounted for the most time missed due to injury ( 16 % ) . In rugby league and union , the most common injuries were head and facial lacerations ( 11 % and 20 % ) followed by concussion ( 8 % and 5 % ) . The injuries accounting for most time missed were fractures and knee ligament injuries in the rugby codes . In Australian Rules football there were more lower limb muscle strain injuries , a high proportion of which were recurrences , with a significant incidence during training sessions . In the rugby codes , minor injuries to the head and neck were more common , particularly in forwards . While rugby league players suffered the most injuries , AFL injuries were on average more severe and consequently the total time missed through injury by players in these two codes was very similar . Rugby union had a significantly lower injury prevalence at the élite club competition level than rugby league or Australian Rules football . CONCLUSION Injury rates in the élite football competitions are high , warranting ongoing analysis and further study in particular areas
The overall results of r and om effects modelling of football heading were found to be inconclusive across all outcomes , groups and time points .
No moderating variables related to method ological , sample or study characteristics were supported in the analysis ; age was a potential moderating variable .
Summary / conclusions We provide the first meta-analytical review of football heading effects aggregated from multiple studies and extended findings from a recent systematic review of the effects of football heading .
Our analysis indicates no overall effect for heading a football on adverse outcomes
Aim / objective The objective of this study was to provide a meta- analysis examining the effects of football heading .
Design Meta-analytical review on football heading effects on neurocognitive performance , cognition and symptom reports .