Well FIFA did review heading safety in 2004 with a view to banning it. They found it to be safe.
This link claims it’s safe, but the study was done in 2001. I would think, bearing in mind FIFA are aware of it, if i was bad it would have been banned in todays game.
There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that repeated low intensity head trauma can cause long term cognitive problems. Whacking your head 10-15 times a day on a door frame probably would qualify.
Given ongoing irregularities in FIFA’s process for selecting World Cup host countries, I’m not entirely sure that they’re an organization in which I’d put unqualified trust.
So, you whacked your head 10-15 times a day… every day… in a place you lived, and you never learned to duck. I think the damage may already be done 
Now my serious response. My son (15) had a fairly serious concussion from soccer this past year. He caught an elbow to the back of the head that dropped him like a rag doll. This happened in the last minute of the last half of the game and he doesn’t remember the second half at all (including one of his goals). Long story short, he was out 6.5 weeks recovering.
He was treated by a neuro-surgeon who happens to be one of the top concussion guys in the country. He also sits on the sidelines for an NFL team and a Big 10 team (specifically for concussion care). Since my son does a lot of headers we of course asked that exact question. He told us that heading isn’t an issue. It is the contact with another player’s head, foot, elbow, etc. that causes the problems.
Interestingly, when we were talking about headgear with him he told us that something more effective is a mouth guard. Apparently the shock to a jaw can travel through the bones and cause damage.
Sports teams are definitely taking concussion awareness much more seriously these days. Our state now requires a baseline concussion test before anyone can play a HS sport. I believe Pennsylvania requires headgear for anyone playing youth soccer. Any suspicion of a concussion in several soccer leagues now requires a doctor’s release before returning.
Multiple Concussions Linked to Postheading Deficits in Soccer Players This article says heading can be damaging , particularly if the player has had previous concussions.
Haven’t read through the entire thread but hell yes, impact to the skull can cause brain damage.
I suffered an impact to the skull that wasn’t too severe. It resulted in a subdural hematoma that almost killed me. I had suffered several concussions prior to this and thought that the symptoms, based on past experience, would pass. When the MRI was done it was found that there was a slow bleed that had filled over 1/4 of my skull with blood. The hematoma was on the verge of pressing on my stem which means that I would have quit breathing and died. The estimate was 30 hours.
Yes, impact to the skull can cause brain damage. There is no question. It doesn’t mean that every blow to head will do that but there is the chance. Don’t take head trauma lightly. It’s not something that is “part of the game” or should be “played through”.
Well, MULTIPLE studies have found that the cumulative damage IS significant, as well as interval related damages (as in, repeated and short term repeated injuries).
Hence, the evaluation of football players after a significant and serious hit in pro football.
Dude, 1/4 of your skull was filled with blood and you’re talking about it?!
Goes to say the level of human intelligence! 
Seriously though, glad you survived. In such cases, overall, it’s a matter of pressure over time. If the treating physician recognizes the issue and mitigates it EARLY, the future issues are minimized. Wait, and life sucks for the survivor (IF the patient survives)!
Here is something to compare. I’ve fully qualified to join MENSA. I’ve also had multiple head injuries of noteworthy mention for this article.
I have noticed the difference, as have certain scores on tests of IQ.
But, THAT is OR… 
Here is a concept to explore:
Brain damaged by one incident AND is vulnerable to further damage, as it’s damaged.
NEW impact, tearing MORE of what was torn.
Add another.
Keep doing that, join Muhammad Ali…
I’m not making this up. I thought it was just another concussion. “I’ll get better. It’s happened before.” Denial isn’t just a river in Africa. I sort of made an excuse to go see the doctor who recognized the seriousness of the problem and literally saved my life. The MRI was unbelievable. It was a very slow bleed. Thankfully. If it was a faster bleed I would have checked out. I’m not proud of my stupidity in regard to the condition.
I guess when I read the title of the OP I’m thinking, “Are you 'effin, kidding me? Let me tell you, a blow to the head can not only damage the brain, it can kill you.” Of course, everyone is different. The brain does tend to desensitize itself to trauma. Boxers are an extreme example. After that comes football players and hockey players. They absorb punishment and the redundant systems in the brain make it possible for them to function with little indication that damage has occurred. That doesn’t mean that over time dementia won’t set in.
And yes, I think there have been lingering aftereffects. There are things that I think I used to be a lot sharper at. I wouldn’t want to try to go back to college. I would like to learn to fly a plane but I don’t think that would be a good idea.
Anyway, head injuries are not to be taken lightly.
That article doesn’t mention concussions, it just states that heading throws balance, and people with past concussions should re-train their balance before returning. Being off balance does sound like a symptom of a concussion though. But so does a headache, and that article claims that it’s just a short term side effect of heading a hard ball. A severe headache could be viewed as cognitive impairment, as it can be hard to think straight when your head is throbbing.
No need for that, you can still play soccer, just don’t bunt with your head.
If you want the beneficial aspects of the sport (fitness) without the injuries, play on the friendly level, not for competition. Try to avoid quick turns and sudden stops (joints and knees) and hitting each other. If possible, by playing slower: you will still get plenty of exercise running half as fast or 20% slower, but reduce the risk of injury overall.
Which could explain why the soccer players showed signs of impairment when tested.
Just quoting an earlier article on this thread - “The consensus of what we see today is that the force of impact from heading a soccer ball is fairly low. Players prepare for heading the ball by tensing up their neck muscles and in effect put their entire body into the heading motion”.
Does this seem like sound reasoning to conclude that heading will not cause brain damage?
I wonder if scientists will continue to research this matter, since some seem to think it is perfectly safe to head a ball.
Do you know how fast a soccer ball is flying around? 50 kmh is already plenty enough multiplied with a weight of about 400g (almost one pound), compared to a boxers fist which weighs far less.
Also, a boxer will mostly hit your head from the front; a soccer player will catch the ball any odd way often, trying to hit it all, so the odd angle multiplies the force compared to a full head-on where the force is spread over a greater area and the player is prepared.
Um, how much space do you think there is between your brain and the skull? There’s not several inches of reserve to decelerate from normal movement so that only high speeds are a problem. True, an impact at normal walking pace won’t usually leave a serious concussion, but it will still do damage, and enough damage in the category of “adding up”.
This Slideshow covers brain/skull anatomy and brain injury mechanisms. There are bony ridges in the lower cranial cavity that can damage the temporal lobe, causing changes to emotional and sexual behaviour. Frontal lobe damage can cause personality and impulse control changes.
Si
Sure, what I’m asking though is for evidence for this claim that heading a soccer ball constitutes “cumulative damage” that could eventually cause brain damage. It’s nowhere near the same thing as taking a significant and serious hit in pro football.
[QUOTE=Spud]
He was treated by a neuro-surgeon who happens to be one of the top concussion guys in the country. He also sits on the sidelines for an NFL team and a Big 10 team (specifically for concussion care). Since my son does a lot of headers we of course asked that exact question. He told us that heading isn’t an issue. It is the contact with another player’s head, foot, elbow, etc. that causes the problems.
[/QUOTE]
That’s what my intuition would’ve told me. That’s why I thought it seemed inappropriate that the study quoted earlier in the thread that found that professional soccer players had slightly impaired cognitive function, and suggested this was partly due to heading the ball, without seeming to control for factors like how often they’d been kicked in the head, elbowed in the head, concussed on the pitch, etc.
[QUOTE=constanze]
Do you know how fast a soccer ball is flying around? 50 kmh is already plenty enough multiplied with a weight of about 400g (almost one pound), compared to a boxers fist which weighs far less.
[/QUOTE]
This is a fairly ridiculous insinuation. Trust me, heading a soccer ball is never going to knock someone out, it doesn’t even hurt. The ball is cushioned, it’s rarely travelling near full speed when you head it and you’re prepared for it. Getting punched by a boxer’s fist, on the other hand, hurts like hell and can easily cause unconsciousness. They’re not remotely comparable.
[QUOTE=gonzomax]
Multiple Concussions Linked to Postheading Deficits in Soccer Players This article says heading can be damaging , particularly if the player has had previous concussions.
[/QUOTE]
I can’t read this article, others have questioned it already though. Could you quote the relevant sections?
I have been at live matches, where someone hit’s a hard shot and a player, recognising that the ball is goalbound, sticks a head on the ball. It’s a kind of “take one for the team” situation. I question if a player can constrict his neck muscles in such a reflex situation.
Heading the ball a couple of times in a match may not matter too much, but the players have to practice heading to be any good at it.
I’d be more worried about how they get good at it. I expect some of them have whole training sessions of heading practice to improve their skill.
The idea that midfield players never head the ball is mystifying to me. Of course they head the ball, all the time. Every player on the field does, with the exception of the goalie, who heads the ball rarely, but who sometimes gets hit in the head with a shot. And starting from an incorrect assumption that, potentially, half the players on a given side never head the ball – well, I wonder what that does to the study results.