Position comparison of sport-related concussions in female youth soccer players

ABSTRACT

Objectives

Youth soccer participation, particularly among females, continues to grow worldwide. With the high incidence of sport-related concussion (SRC) in soccer, it is important to investigate if SRC occurs disproportionally by positions. Our hypothesis was to see no positional differences in SRCs, SRC-related characteristics, and outcomes among in female youth soccer athletes.

Methods

Data were prospectively collected from participants at a single sports medicine institution between August 2015-April 2021. Female participants aged 8–18 diagnosed with SRC sustained during an organized soccer practice, scrimmage, or game were separated into 4 groups based on position: Forward, Midfielder, Defender, and Goalkeeper. Demographics, medical history, injury-related details, and outcomes were reviewed. A chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test was used for categorical variables. Continuous variables were compared with Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis test.

Results

Two hundred fourteen participants were included: 52 Forwards, 65 Midfielders, 63 Defenders, and 34 Goalkeepers. There were no significant differences between the groups in age, race, ethnicity, or previous concussion history. Differences in mechanism existed with Goalkeepers most commonly reporting Head to Body Part. Goalkeepers, which make up 1/11 of the total positions on the field, had a significantly higher proportion of SRCs compared to Field Positions. (9.1% vs 15.9%)

At 3-month post-enrollment, there were no significant differences in reported symptoms or return-to-play between the different positions.

Conclusion

In youth female soccer players, goalkeepers sustained a higher proportion of sport-related concussions compared to field players based upon the composition of a soccer team. The mechanism of injury also differed among the different soccer positions. However, no differences in concussion characteristics, outcomes, or RTP were seen across the different soccer positions.

KEYWORDS:

• Sport-related concussion
• female athlete
• soccer
• soccer position
• pediatric
• adolescent

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the North Texas Concussion Registry (ConTex) and was funded by a grant from the Texas Institute for Brain Injury and Repair (TIBIR), a state-funded initiative as part of the Peter J. O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Support for the use of REDCap came from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number UL1TR001105.