Epidemiologic Assessment of Concussions in an NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Team

BACKGROUND: Among collegiate sports, ice hockey and wrestling have been reported to have the highest rates of concussion injury. Recent literature has shown that among all sports, female soccer players had the highest rate of concussion injury at the high school level. Sport-specific analysis will increase our knowledge of epidemiologic characteristics of this serious injury in young soccer players, where “heading” is commonly involved during participation. HYPOTHESIS: Heading during soccer will be associated with increased frequency of concussion injury in collegiate female players compared with other mechanisms of injury, and concussion injury mechanism and rates will differ by setting of injury (practice or match) and player position. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiologic study. METHODS: This was a retrospective review and epidemiologic analysis of all concussions documented from a single National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I female collegiate soccer team between 2004 and 2017. A total of 381 participants were reviewed, and concussion injury mechanism, setting (practice or match), player position, and number of games and practices missed due to injury were analyzed. RESULTS: Overall, 25 concussions in 22 players from the 2004 to 2017 seasons were identified, for an annual rate of 1.79 concussions per year. Collisions (36%) followed by headers (20%) were the most common mechanisms. Forwards sustained the most concussions (32%). Injuries were more common in games (56%) than practice (40%). Of note, the most common cause of concussion during practice was headers (40%). Of the concussions documented, 20 (91%) were the player’s first concussion. On average, each concussion resulted in a player missing 3.96 games and 12.46 practices. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that concussion rates in female NCAA soccer players vary by position and occur with different frequencies and mechanisms in practice and games. Interventions for concussion avoidance should aim to limit exposure to high-risk activity, including player-to-player contact in games and headers in practice. Although gameplay and collisions can be unpredictable and difficult to control, practice settings can be modified in an attempt to decrease risk.