Date of Graduation

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Health, Human Performance and Recreation

Advisor/Mentor

Jones, Ches

Committee Member

Hamming, Bart

Abstract

Concussions are a significant concern in women’s soccer, with many studies showing that women have a higher rate of having them than compared to men. The number of concussions in athletes have raised concerns about long-term health and calls for a deeper look into ways to prevent them from occurring. The purpose of this study is to review the epidemiological data related to the mechanisms of concussions as a result of soccer, specifically within female participants. The data was obtained from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) from the years 2020 through 2023. Specifically, the narrative was used to identify the concussion mechanism once it was diagnosed. The study explicitly looked at female participants. Concussions related to soccer activity have increased each year from 2020 to 2023. The majority of concussions (82.3%) occurred between the ages of 12 and 17. Of all locations where a concussion occurred, 72.5% occurred at a place of recreation. The mechanism that was most prominent (41.4%) was being hit with the ball. Contact with another player was next up causing 28.9% of the concussions. Other common mechanisms included tripping and falling, being kicked, elbowed, or kneed, and running into the goalpost. Being hit with the ball includes the ball hitting the player, as well as the player incorrectly heading the ball. The results identify some important aspects to potentially look into. This includes the importance of location of where these concussions are occurring. The majority (72.5%) occurring in a place of recreation could show that there are different playing styles, less supervision, and less structured play in recreational sports, compared to sports at school. Another aspect to look into is that being hit with the ball or incorrectly heading the ball is the top mechanism for concussions, which calls for a correction of fundamental skills to further prevent them.

Keywords

female; soccer; NEISS

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