P0176 - Concussion in Female Collegiate Athletes

Background: Soccer is a popular youth sport, with 7.1% of female high school soccer athletes continuing to the collegiate level. As young athletes progress to higher levels of competition, “heading” the ball becomes more of an essential skill, however, protective headgear is rarely used. Previous studies demonstrate higher female athlete concussion rates compared to males. The purpose of this study is to describe the rates of concussions and headaches in female collegiate soccer players compared to non-contact-sport athletes.


Methods: Questionnaires were distributed to female collegiate athletes from four different universities that surveyed concussion history, current headaches, medication for headaches, and a diagnosis of migraines. The athletes were separated into soccer and non-contact-sports (i.e., tennis, cross country, track & field). Non-contact female athletes that also participated in contact sports (i.e., boxing and diving) were excluded from the study. Soccer players were asked their position, years of playing soccer, and participation in heading drills.


Results: Of the 132 female athletes surveyed, 66 were soccer players and 66 were non-contact-sport athletes with mean ages of 19.5 and 20.0 years, respectively. Soccer players were found to have a significantly higher rate of concussions compared to non-contact athletes (50% versus 9%, p<0.0001), but no significant difference was found when comparing the rates of current headaches between the two groups (20% soccer; 32% non-contact). A prior concussion diagnosis in both the soccer group and non-contact group did not appear to be associated with current headaches. Among the 65 soccer athletes who reported position and concussion history, 29 of 52 (56%) of the goalkeepers, defenders, and forwards collectively reported a concussion, while only 3 of 13 (23%) of the midfielders reported a concussion (p=0.03). Rates of concussions were equal between those with <15 years of experience (54%) and ≥15 years (46%). However, rates of reported headaches were significantly higher in the soccer players with <15 years of experience (38% versus 11%, p=0.009).


Conclusion: Collegiate female soccer athletes had a higher risk of concussion compared to non-contact-sport athlete controls. Among soccer players, midfielders had a lower concussion risk compared to all other positions. Lastly, soccer players with <15 years of soccer experience reported higher rates of headaches.