Bonney Lake, WA is a great place to live if you love playing sports, especially soccer. Children of all ages play soccer on the plateau. Soccer may be one of the most popular sports around the globe, but it is also has one of the highest incidence of trauma. Severe spinal cord injuries, disc herniation and fractures, and dislocations are among the acute injuries to the cervical spine in soccer.
In soccer, the neck absorbs a great amount of force during heading the ball. The speed of a soccer ball can travel up to 100 km/hr.
“Heading” of a soccer ball, defined as the intentional act of directing the soccer ball with the forehead, is an integral skill that soccer players must master in order to participate fully in their sport. In fact, soccer is the only sport where the flight path of the object projectile is skillfully and accurately altered with the forehead. The proper technique for heading the soccer ball, as it is taught to all soccer players, is to use only the forehead region, approximately an area between the eyebrows and hairline in the vertical dimension, and between the most forward portion of the temples in the horizontal dimension.
To head the ball with a good amount of power you’ll need to arch back and swing your head forward. Keep your shoulders leveled and perpendicular to your aim. Contact should be made with the center of the forehead. There are several different ways that you can head the ball.
Diving header:
In this technique, you must propel your entire body in the path of the ball. Your arms have to be stretched forward for protection on landing.
Glancing header:
When executing a glancing header, you must turn your head in direction of your aim. This motion redirects the oncoming ball.
Flick header:
On flick headers, you are actually making contact with the back of your head. As you arch backward, you direct the ball backwards. This technique is often used by midfielders who have their back towards the opponent’s goal.
The maximum force applied to the head can be calculated as approximately 2,000 Newtons which is about 450 pounds for each heading of the ball. Some studies have shown that heading the ball can potentially damage the brain. Degeneration of the cervical spine in soccer players is 10-20 years earlier than the normal population. The pathologies found in the cervical spines of some soccer players may include disc protrusion, loss of cervical curve, spinal cord damage and osteophytes in the cervical canal.
Playing soccer may decrease a person’s range of motion in the cervical spine over a period of time. The head of the soccer player should be held quite rigid at impact to absorb the force of the ball and prevent jarring at the neck. This will decrease the risk of rotational acceleration of the head in respect to the body and also the risk of damaging the brain and cervical spine. The degenerative cervical spine in soccer players caused by heading the ball can increase with age and maybe irreversible.
It would be beneficial if your child is properly trained on heading the ball and also having their extensor muscles strengthened to prevent early degenerative changes to your child’s cervical spine.
Martin R Henschell DC
Bachelor of Science, Biology and Physical Education, Mayville State University, 1995
Doctor of Chiropractic, Life West Chiropractic College, 1998
Dr. Martin Henschell has been an active member of the Bonney Lake community and has sponsored several childrens sports organizations including soccer. Dr. Henschell’s love for sports and the safety of the children are his number one priority.
