Concussions prominent issue for female athletes
Michelle Nicoud
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Sports
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Three soccer players, whom head coach Dan Abdalla wanted to remain anonymous because of medical privacy, said they all were attempting to head balls, but accidently made contact with another player's head, resulting in a concussion.
A sophomore player said she had trouble concentrating, and a freshman player said her neck was sore afterward. A New York Times article suggests the strength of a female's neck muscles compared to a male's might be one reason for the higher susceptibility to concussions.
Another freshman player said she had suffered three concussions, two in high school and one in college. Two were in soccer matches and the other was in a basketball game, she said.
According to the New York Times and ABC News, female athletes get 68 percent more soccer concussions and three times more basketball concussions than their male counterparts in high school. Crawford, who worked at a high school last year, said it should be noted that high schools usually have a freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams, so they will have more athletes than a college team.
Parmenter said an athlete's concussion history can impact her concussion severity and recovery time in the future.
"I don't know that it has much impact whether you're a female or a male," Parmenter said. "What seems to have the most impact is the number of concussions that you've had before. If you've had more concussions, it usually takes you longer to recover then it does a person who hasn't had any concussions or just simple ones."
The freshman who suffered three concussions said she thought her second and third concussions were more severe than the first one.
"The second one was the worst one, and the third one became worse because the second one was so severe," she said. "It made my symptoms worse and it made them last longer."
According to the same New York Times article, some athletes use padded headbands to prevent concussions, but the article states they have not been proven to lessen the impact of concussions.
The freshman went on to say she would agree the headbands do not work because they only cover the front part of the head.
"It may keep you from busting your head open, but concussion-wise, your brain is still going to bounce around." she said.
Haraldson said no soccer or basketball players are currently using any headgear.
Head women's basketball coach Jeff Mittie did not want his players to comment for this article, citing medical privacy.
A sophomore player said she had trouble concentrating, and a freshman player said her neck was sore afterward. A New York Times article suggests the strength of a female's neck muscles compared to a male's might be one reason for the higher susceptibility to concussions.
Another freshman player said she had suffered three concussions, two in high school and one in college. Two were in soccer matches and the other was in a basketball game, she said.
According to the New York Times and ABC News, female athletes get 68 percent more soccer concussions and three times more basketball concussions than their male counterparts in high school. Crawford, who worked at a high school last year, said it should be noted that high schools usually have a freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams, so they will have more athletes than a college team.
Parmenter said an athlete's concussion history can impact her concussion severity and recovery time in the future.
"I don't know that it has much impact whether you're a female or a male," Parmenter said. "What seems to have the most impact is the number of concussions that you've had before. If you've had more concussions, it usually takes you longer to recover then it does a person who hasn't had any concussions or just simple ones."
The freshman who suffered three concussions said she thought her second and third concussions were more severe than the first one.
"The second one was the worst one, and the third one became worse because the second one was so severe," she said. "It made my symptoms worse and it made them last longer."
According to the same New York Times article, some athletes use padded headbands to prevent concussions, but the article states they have not been proven to lessen the impact of concussions.
The freshman went on to say she would agree the headbands do not work because they only cover the front part of the head.
"It may keep you from busting your head open, but concussion-wise, your brain is still going to bounce around." she said.
Haraldson said no soccer or basketball players are currently using any headgear.
Head women's basketball coach Jeff Mittie did not want his players to comment for this article, citing medical privacy.
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