More aggressive and physical football that translates into more blows to the head and greater severity. This change in trend in the practice of this sport at a professional level can lead to serious consequences for elite players – the most exposed – in the future. This is indicated by the conclusions of a study led by the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona and the University of Barcelona (UB) which concludes that the increase in head impacts in professional footballers between 1974 and 2022 could produce more cases of neurodegenerative diseases in the coming years.
The research, published in the journal ‘Lancet Neurology’, has analyzed the impacts on the heads of professional footballers in four of the Soccer World Cups over 50 years and has observed a significant increase in this type of injuries, a circumstance that previous scientific research associates with a greater risk of suffering from dementia, Parkinson’s and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
It is estimated that professional soccer players give themselves approximately 2,000 headbutts in a 20-year career. According to data from Clínic research, in 10 years of professional activity these elite athletes have a 50% chance of having a concussion due to a single headbutt.
The study has been carried out by the researcher Irina Martín-Izquierdostudent of the degree of Medicine at the UB, and led by doctor Alex Iranzoneurologist at the Clínic, Professor at the UB and head of the Clinical Neurophysiology Research Group at the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (Idibaps). Doctor also participated in the presentation of the results. Fine Castrodirector of the Clinical Institute of Neurosciences and head of the Psychiatry and psychology of childhood and adolescence research group at Idibaps.
In this research, the number and frequency of blows to the head have been evaluated through detailed analysis of 120 match videos of four soccer World Cups in the last 50 years – the one in Germany in 1974, the one in Italy in 1990, the one in Germany in 2006 and the one in Qatar in 2022.
After viewing the videos, the authors of the study have detected a significant increase in the number of blows to the head in recent years, 4,478 blows in 1974 and 1990, compared to 5,355 hits in 2006 and 2022. Both collisions between players and repeated headers on the ball have increased.
Medical attention was required in 33% of collisions and, on five occasions, players had to withdraw from the field. All cases between 2006 and 2022. This is because the style of play has evolved in these 50 years in terms of aggressiveness, physical strength and competitiveness.
Previous epidemiological studies showed that there is a higher incidence of different neurodegenerative diseases among players soccer professionalssuch as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, ALS, and REM sleep disorders. These neurological problems are believed to be associated with repetitive exposure to impacts to the head of these players during matches and training, according to the doctor. Aleix Iranzo.
These previous investigations evaluated soccer players who played professionally between the 1950s and 1970s, and who developed neurodegenerative diseases decades after retiring. Therefore, the increased number of blows to the head detected in this study suggests that the incidence of degenerative diseases could increase in the coming years among elite soccer players.
Along these lines, the research group has recently received two grants to monitor the players football and rugby veteranswhich will be evaluated to detect the appearance of markers of latent neurodegenerative diseases.
Some possible solutions to reduce this risk are to implement preventive measures. Some of the solutions proposals is to carry out educational programs in schools to raise awareness among children about the risks of this practice, regulations of the rules of the game, and wearing protective equipment.
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