By Kate Snow, Sarah Koch, Deirdre Cohen and Jessica Hopper
Rock Center
Fifteen-year-old Allison Kasacavage, once a rising soccer star in Pennsylvania, is slowly recovering after suffering debilitating concussions while playing the game she loved.
“It’s almost like I need a sign on my back saying, ‘My head is broken.’ And you can’t see it. It’s like not visible and it’s like not many people understand, “said Allison in an interview with Rock Center’s Kate Snow.
Allison, who lives with her family in Chester Springs, Pa., has had at least five concussions. She is only able to attend school four hours a day. Her room is lit with soft blue light to ease her headaches and her family now eats dinner by candlelight.
She is one of hundreds of girls across America each year who suffer concussions while playing soccer.
“People who think of concussions as only being present mostly in guys and mostly in the sport of football are just plain wrong,” said Dr. Bob Cantu, who is chairman of the surgery division and the director of sports medicine at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Mass. “Soccer is right at the top of the list for girls.”
With the steady popularity of youth soccer, more girls are playing the game than ever before. Girls make up 48 percent of the more than 3 million kids registered in US Youth Soccer leagues.
Cantu said that the country is in the midst of “a concussion crisis” and that studies show girls are reporting nearly twice as many concussions as boys in the sports they both play.
‘Concussion Crisis’ impacting girls’ soccer
The number of girls suffering concussions in soccer accounts for the second largest amount of all concussions reported by young athletes, according to the American Journal of Sports Medicine. (Football tops the list.)
“What’s happening in this country is an epidemic of concussions, number one, and the realization that many of these individuals are going to go on to post-concussion syndrome, which can alter their ability to function at a high level for the rest of their lives,” Dr. Cantu said.
Allison still remembers when she suffered her first serious concussion in October 2008. It came when she collided with another player on the field.
“When I like got up, my head was like pounding,” Allison said. “There was, like, a pulse in my head. It was like the strangest thing. There was a heartbeat in my head and I had no idea what it was and why it was there. I have never felt that before and I was just so confused,” she said.
Click here for more on concussion symptoms
After Allison had apparently healed from the concussion, she returned to soccer. She’d been a star player since she was six years old, working her way up to one of the top teams in Pennsylvania. She said that her identity had been wrapped up in the game and she felt pressure to please her coaches.
Allison said that she was nervous about heading the ball, but continued to do it.
“If you didn’t head the ball, you were like the weakest link,” Allison said.
When heading, players attempt to use their foreheads to direct the ball, often jumping with opposing players, a move that can lead to collisions between players, bumped heads and strained necks. Dr. Cantu says that the act of heading is one of the most dangerous parts of soccer because players often collide.
Allison suffered a third concussion in her final season of soccer and another two off the field, the latter because her spatial awareness had been impacted from her previous concussions and she hit her head on a table and other furniture, her mother said.
Her parents said that they knew about the danger of concussions in sports like football, but it wasn’t until Allison had her first serious head injury that they realized what a big problem concussions can be in soccer.
“I think that we were blind to what was going on around us because, yes, it was about the team. It was about the winning. It was about all the, it was almost like a routine of, like I said, an awful lot of practices and you just went through it and really your lives rolled by with soccer being the most important thing,” said Lex Kasacavage, Allison’s father.
Sports psychologist Richard Ginsburg says that enthusiasm for the game and the kids by parents and coaches, while well-meaning, might be making the concussion crisis worse.
“We get wrapped up,” said Ginsburg, the author of ‘Whose Game is it Anyway?’ “We want success for them and so sometimes we get, we lose perspective. It doesn’t make us terrible people. It just makes us human. “
NBC News
Kimmie Zeffert
In Allison’s town of Chester Springs, about 30 miles from downtown Philadelphia, she is not alone. She has bonded with at least five other 14 and 15-year-old girls who have suffered concussions while playing soccer.
“My main friends are actually people that have head injuries,” said one of the teens, Kimmie Zeffert, 14. “I’ve become so close with them because I can relate to them. They understand what I’m going through.”
Kimmie had her first concussion when she was 12.
“I took another head ball and then I don’t even remember,” she said. “The next thing is I got, apparently, got elbowed in the back of the head. But (when) the coach asked me if I wanted to come out, I was like, ‘No, I’m going, I’m going to stick it through.”
Those hits -- heading the ball and being elbowed by a player in the head -- ended her soccer career.
Kimmie’s teammate Jenna Rohr made the same choice to continue playing in her game after getting hit in the head.
“I didn’t want to quit,” she said. “I didn’t want to let my team down because, like, so many people already had concussions on the team.”
Both Jenna and Kimmie have been unable to make it through a full day of school for almost two years. They still suffer from intense headaches, dizziness, nausea and vision problems.
Along with their physical ailments, several of the girls NBC News spoke to have struggled with depression since leaving soccer. Some have taken anti-depressants. One teen soccer player, who is returning to the sport after suffering a concussion, said that she felt so terrible at one point that she even thought about suicide.
Despite their experiences, the teens still love soccer and say they don’t discourage their former teammates from the sport.
“I think like speaking for all of us, like we would do anything to just be able to play one more game,” Jenna said.
Should heading be banned from girls’ soccer?
Dr. Cantu has made the bold proposal that heading be eliminated from youth soccer under the age of 14. He said girls, because of their anatomy, may be especially vulnerable to concussions.
“Girls as a group have far weaker necks,” Cantu said. “The same force delivered to a girl’s head spins the head much more because of the weak neck than it does the guys.”
New research suggests some body types may be more at risk than others.
“We believe that individuals with very long, thin necks may be at greater risk,” Cantu said.
With this evidence, Cantu said, “I would hope it would not only make parents look at their daughters, but make every one of those parents insist their daughters are on a neck strengthening program if they’re playing a collision sport.”
Brandi Chastain, the Olympian who helped the United States win a World Cup, strongly disagrees with Cantu’s proposal to eliminate heading from girls’ soccer.
“It’s a part of the game and I think it’s an important part and I think it’s a beautiful part of the game, to be honest with you,” she said. “I would never want to see that go away, but there’s a right way to do it. There’s a protective way to do it.”
Chastain said that girls need to be taught to create protective space around their bodies. She says heading isn’t dangerous if it’s done correctly.
“I circle back to education and preparation and I put that on parents and coaches because the kids don’t know any better,” Chastain added. “You know, they just want to go out there and play, but if we can educate them in a fun environment that’s safe, that teaches them the skill and gives them the confidence to try it and then they can put it into practice in the game.”
Back in Pennsylvania, the girls and their families are trying to educate people based on their own experiences. Despite their concussions, though, they say they don’t want to discourage girls from playing soccer.
“Please don’t go and not play soccer because it’s such a great opportunity for the girls to just prove themselves and challenge themselves and make friends and travel,” said Wendy Zeffert, mother of Kimmie. “But be aware.”
Leave a Comment:
I'm 13 and I play on an express travel soccer team. My team is very competitive and we travel like crazy. We are dedicated to the soccer field and we love it so, so much. I've suffered two serious concussions in this last year. I got the first one from getting jumped over and kicked in the head. Just like those girls I played through it. I never fully got over that concussion and the first thing I did when I thought it was fine was get on the soccer field, fully playing. The second one I got from the very last tournament I played in. It's caused me to give up my social life, my dream, and my identity for the rest of the season. I headed the ball barely and that was enough to give me one. And again, I played through it.. I played through three games with the hot sun beating down on me. I've been out of school since March 9th.
I totally understand how you're feeling... Just know that your health is ultimately the most important thing no matter what. I missed a ton of school because of my two concussions and now have given up playing soccer to keep myself safe. I was my soccer team's manager this year, joined the track team and did theatre--two activities I never realized how much I could enjoy before! So, just hang in there and pray for patience--you will get better!
As a father whose daughter plays soccer (goalie) and girls rugby and has suffered concussions, it would have been nice to see a little blurb about Full 90 Headgear. My daughter wears it for both sports. Will it completely prevent a concussion? No, but there is a product available to help give some protection.
Is it so out there to suggest the parents of a child who has had four concussions and who continue to allow their daughter to play soccer, that these parents are guilty of some form of child abuse?
People with head injuries or autoimmune brain damage need to see a chiropractic neurologist. They're amazing.
Brandi has it all wrong. She is the exception to the rule about heading the ball. The soccer player who heads the ball will test at a 9 point lower IQ than the average. The skulls of soccer players develop thicker bone mass as a result of the many traumas. The brain can not be strengthened.
And, Dr Cantu, who I have great respect for, is dead wrong about strengthening necks to become more tolerant of concussions. This idea started in football and was used to explain the problem girls have.
The more likely problem is the low progesterone levels athletic girls have. Progesterone is a known neuro-protectant. Males have higher progesterone that stays at that same level. Women and girls have progesterone that drops to zero except for one week per month. Those who have no periods due to their athletic efforts may be at or near zero the whole month.
And, contrary to the oft repeated lie, nobody ever recovers fully from a concussion. There is always residual damage. Much of it will not be evident until the person reaches their 40's. The cumulative effect of multiple concussions will be a very high price to pay for a few seasons of soccer.
The issue not mentioned is just as important. Sub-concussive impacts cause as much damage or more that full concussions. Every header is a sub-concussive impact that accumulates to damage the brain. There are many NFL players who have CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, brain shrinkage due to injury) but have never suffered a diagnosed or even suspected concussion.
The coach/dad is an outright idiot. His daughter will not know who her dad is by the time she is 50 at the rate she is going. Those who had/have suicidal ideations will be the same as NFL players Defensive Back Junior Seau, Safety Ray Easterling, Defensive Back Safety Dave Duerson, and the NHL's Tough guy Wade Belak, Enforcer Derek Boogaard, Forward and fighter Derek Boogaard who ended their lives due to the dementia they developed.
btw, I have lived with a deteriorating brain since my sophomore high school soccer season in 1970. I can now get a concussion from a simple car ride down a rough road.
The saying goes,
A fool does not learn from their own mistakes.
A smart person learns from their own mistakes.
A wise person learns from OTHERS mistakes.
I am sorry to tell you, but your skull will not get thicker from constent impact. Doing headers over 15 years of my daughters soccer career did not protected her from her TBI. Instead, she had a fractured skull. I agree with what you had posted, except for this statement. It is like saying if I went out and beat my head against the wall over and over, I would protected my head against an injury.
As a post female soccer player and now soccer coach for females why don't we stop blaming the sport and start putting some of the blame on the coaches? Brandi is right, like some of you have agreed with, it is teaching proper form. Look at the number of coaches out there (in any sport) that aren't licensed or certified, and that don't understand how to teach the fundamentals of the sport. We could go on for days about this. Parent, make sure that when you sign your kids up for sports that you get the background of your player's coach and know that they are qualified to train your player. You can't stop accidents, but you can control the environment that your child is learning in.
As a post female soccer player and now soccer coach for females why don't we stop blaming the sport and start putting some of the blame on the coaches? Brandi is right, like some of you have agreed with, it is teaching proper form. Look at the number of coaches out there (in any sport) that aren't licensed or certified, and that don't understand how to teach the fundamentals of the sport. We could go on for days about this. Parent, make sure that when you sign your kids up for sports that you get the
background of your player's coach and know that they are qualified to train your player. You can't stop accidents, but you can control the environment that your child is learning in.
Agreed. My sister-in-law's husband coached my nephew's team. The guy never even played soccer himself, he just read a rule book and learned some plays. The rest of the parents didn't care, they just wanted another community soccer team to get them started early preparing for junior varsity tryouts, so they could have a line item for their kids' college applications someday.
My daughter suffered a TBI playing soccer in 2008, she only had minor concussions once or twice in the 15 years that she played soccer. But it only took the one time, the ball hitting her in the forehead at about 65 mph. after being punted from the keeper. It fractured her skull and her brain shifted. Her symptoms are to extensive to list, and they continue to grow even today. This story is NOT an isolated case that they found, this is happening all over the country and the world. The same thing happened to one of her good friends just three months before this happened to my daughter.
I agree with others about being disappointed that they did not mention Full 90 head gear. Since my daughter's injury, I have been working with the Full 90 Corp. along with The Brain Injury Association of Michigan, The Neurological Association of MI, several Senetors, Congressmen/women, coaches, doctor, Soccer Clubs and many many more people; trying to make it manditory for all soccer players at the High School level to wear Head Gear. I also have a younger daughter that plays Premier Soccer. Every team we play, tournament we go to, basically anyone that will listen; I tell our story. We have been able to get more than 20 schools, clubs and several Select or Premier teams to start wearing the Full 90 Head Gear.
I do know and understand that their product would not have completely prevented Samantha's injury, but it would have helped. The Head Gear is designed to lessen the impact so the player will not receive as severe a concussion or maybe if it was not a hard hit, prevent them. People resisted when they wanted to make shin guards manditory, and they are there to protect the players legs. The Head Gear is designed to protect the players head/brain. You may be able to live without the use of your legs, but you sure can not live without the use of your brain.
Samantha just finished her third year in college. But because of all of the problems she continues to have, it is going to take her more that twice as long to get her degree than most students. She can only take three classes at a time because she gets overwhelmed, forgets what she learned, gets migraines, becomes over stressed then starts to have seizures. All of which started after her traumatic brain injury.
Thank you for listening...
Thank you to the athletes who shared their stories. I am sorry for your injuries and further complications. I will sit with my daughter and share some of these comments to help her feel a bit better about needing to walk away from soccer during her senior year of high school -- after putting so much time and energy into the sport. As for you who judge without being in the athlete's or parents' "cleats" -- shame on you.
We are 20 months into my 14 yr old daughter's traumatic brain injury from a concussion during soccer and then another 3 months later during track practice. At this point, we are very thankful she is alive but her life has forever been changed. She still has at least 12 more months of various therapies. At that time, we may know what her future might look like. It has been an incredible struggle that we wouldn't wish upon anyone else. We are very greatful to have this occur at a time where so much research is being done. The awareness and the ability to travel to a comprehensive sports concussion center program have undoubtedly made a huge difference in our daughter's outcome. More and more research and progress needs to continue to be made. Parents, coaches, and the public need to be aware of the dangers and concequences of head injuries.
I have 2 girls (12 & 14) that play permier soccer year round in Atlanta. Neither has suffered a concussion playing soccer yet. But in my older daughters class two girls in her grade alone have missed over a quarter of school because of soccer head injuries. The problem is out of control.
I think part of the problem is poor coaching. Many go the girls we play do not play the ball but instead play the player. Refers in Atlanta rarely ever give cards; so these girls suffer no consequences for repeat fouls. In all the time my girls have played, a refer has never pulled a yellow or red card. I get most concerned when we play and easy team has the girls use physical strength instead of skill. The girls need to be penalized for agressive play. If they are thrown out of a couple of games they would stop.
I think mandatory helmet should be implemented by 12 years old.
It is a great game but needs to be safer. No football player at my daughter's school has received a concussion requiring them to miss school. I would hate to see header go away but there is no way to prevent a poorly coached player from hurt another player. These girls need to be sidelined!!!
There is protective head gear for soccer that is in almost all soccer kit and equipment magazine called a FULL 90. My daughter has been wearing this since she started playing traveling soccer . Not trying to promote any one product but there something out there that helps with preventing head injuries that should be enforced as much as we do for shin guards (a must have piece of protective gear for all youth players). The father –coach you interviewed was stump when asked about his daughter thoughts on suicide when she learned she might not ever play again before he send her out there again he should give his daughter the head gear and for the rest of her youth career in soccer. This can help to prevent injuries not just for heading the ball but for elbows, falling, high kicks and goal post injuries. The girls and coaches in Pennsylvania and nationwide should be aware of this protective gear.
see the three links to head gear for soccer
There is protective head gear for soccer that is in almost all soccer kit and equipment magazine called a FULL 90 my daughter has been wearing this since she started playing traveling soccer . Not trying to promote any one product but there something out there that helps with preventing head injuries that should be enforced as much as we do for shin guards (a must have piece of protective gear for all youth players). This can help to prevent injuries not just for heading the ball but for elbows, falling, high kicks and goal post injuries. The girls and coaches in Pennsylvania and nationwide should be aware of this protective gear. Prevention always better than the cure
see the three links to head gear for soccer
My daughter suffered 2 concussions in soccer in a 3 month period last year. She had post concussive syndrome and had difficulty with math, directions and short term memory issues. She had a sensitivity to light and felt dizzy at times. Fortunately, we found a great neuro-psychologist who specializes in head trauma at the U of Iowa and she was able to help. The depression was very real- especially for a child who excelled at the sport I held her out of. She did wear headgear when she first went back- but the doctor said sometimes with an aggressive player, it gives them a false sense of security. What I have observed is that the child eventually learns to play smarter and less recklessly.That said, another soccer concussion will end her career.
"if she gets one more concussion that's it!!".....Insanity
Is it the young age kids start playing soccer? Boys were playing at a young age before it became so popular with girls and I'm curious if there has been any research into head injuries with them. Could it be that in starting the sport so young the girls are developing skills with the ball that used to be attributed to older players? That their skills have advanced ahead of their bodies growth?
I ask because I began playing girls soccer at 14, on a 16-18 team. Not because I was so talented but because back then in the US soccer wasn't thought much of. There were no teams at my age level and the older teams needed players so badly kids my age were being allowed to play. The first time I walked out onto the field for practice was the first time I'd ever kicked a soccer ball. I played until I was in my early 30's and in all those years never suffered a concussion and neither did anybody on the teams I played for.
I'm not trying to say this problem doesn't exist because I know it does. I just wonder if the same holds true for boys and wonder how many head injuries existed before the kids became so talented so young.
For Michele White
WOW , after watching and "yelling" at the television from this show I honestly could not believe what I was hearing from these reporters mouths. Concussions have always been prevelant in soccer period, not just girls soccer. The main reason for that is no one ever beleived woman could play soccer therefore no one decided to correctly teach them how to head. But now that woman have proved themselves in this manner the level has picked up tremendously. Therefore a coach needs to teach how to effectivley play the sport. I have been playing soccer since I was 4 years old , played rec ball then club and went on to get a college soccer schloarship and all the while coached girls soccer at the college level , and guess what everybody??.... I have never had a concussion!!! do you know why this is? because I had a great coach that taught me how to head a ball correctly and how not to play dirty and kick someone in the temple. From the clips that were shown the level of soccer was very low and not taught well at all. Bad coaching is the main cause of injuries , moms and dads converted coaches are the biggest culprit of this. A licensed coach needs to be teaching the children at a very early age how to correctly play the sport and it will minimize almost all injuries. "Soccercoach18" you had the best post about being disappointed in this show. It was basically saying that concussions came from headers, only if you do not correctly head the ball. Chastain's quick response to the question "do you think we should take headers out of the game?" was all I needed to hear to finally be at ease with the show. That was the best thing that they did for the show, let brandy give all of us veterns some comfort again, because we have been there and done that a million times and we are all just fine.
Crasche has a protective hat that has been used in girls lacrosse and by soccer players including goalies. It may be appropriate for anyone who plays soccer that has sustained an injury.
It looks and fits just like a ski hat and has protective elements inside that are impact resistant. Check out the website at www.crasche.com
Crasche has a protective hat that has been used in girls lacrosse and by soccer players including goalies. It may be appropriate for anyone who plays soccer that has sustained an injury.
It looks and fits just like a ski hat and has protective elements inside that are impact resistant. Check out the website at www.crasche.com
Please Contact me I'm brasilian I play soccer since I born, I have the answer to help the kids.
leo@annapolissca.com
410 980 3295
What a dumb story. Has anyone heard of helmets? Kids wear helmets playing t-ball and football, and can't even ride their bikes or scooters or skateboards without helmets. Have the girls wear helmets. Seriously..no one thought of that?
I just wanted to thank Ms. Snow, Rock Center, and the girls, and families in their
recent segments on soccer-related concussion injuries for putting out the
message and shedding light on this issue that has had a very large impact on my
life. I played soccer with a passion since Kindergarten, but spring of my freshman year of high school, after taking many shots to the head as goalie, I suffered my first diagnosed concussion. I headed the ball as a defender saving a goal and playing through what I did not realize was a concussion at the time. However, by the
time I arrived home, I had an unbelievable headache. I felt as if I needed a pillow to cushion my entire head, was unable to concentrate on homework, and a hysterical mood that all greatly contrasted my usual personality. Thankfully, I had done a baseline test where my symptoms ranked a 2 originally, and after heading this ball ranked a 22, showing us that my brain definitely had been affected by the hit. The
injury put me out of school/sports/social activities for the last two months of
the school year and into the summer.
After many doctor's visits, I recovered and went back in the game, having purchased the Full90 headgear discussed on Rock Center, and returned to school at a normal pace. I was afraid to head the ball at first and avoided doing so until I felt pressured from my coach and team and encouraged by my doctors(!) to begin heading the ball as I did before. Soon after making that decision to begin heading the ball again and convincing myself that I would be fine just like I was before, I took another hit (while
wearing the headgear) to the side of my head. This time, I immediately took myself out of the game since something didn't quite feel right. Relating so much to the girls in the video, I did not want to accept that I was experiencing this kind of injury again. So, to be 'safe' I sat out of the rest of the soccer season, but tried my best to keep up
with school despite persistent headaches, fatigue, etc. When two months went by
and my symptoms were only getting worse, we made the decision we should have
done right away, and I pulled out of school and allowed my brain the rest it so
desperately needed.
Though I was eventually able to catch up with my schoolwork, excel again in courses, and graduate last week with my classmates from high school, I still am not 100%. I am fatigued earlier than usual, rely on numerous notes and lists to ensure I stay on top of things, and am extra sensitive to getting headaches from various triggers that used to not affect my head. The impact of these brain injuries has really amazed me. While I was successfully able to switch from contact sports to track and reengage in social and other extracurricular activities with my class, I completely identify with the student who expressed in an earlier segment the loss of her identity, overwhelming feeling that she couldn’t see “the light at the end of the tunnel” or ever imagine herself being “normal” again, and thereality that others can’t see the impact of the injury, etc.
It’s really good to know that I am not alone, and I hope you girls who participated in the Rock Center segment know that YOU are not alone either. I appreciate so much your role in helping tomake others aware of the impact that concussions can have on a person’s life. Educating others on this topic has become a personal passion of mine. Once again, thank you.
I'm glad to see more conversation about girls' sports and concussions. Like Dr. Cantu says, people who think of concussions as only being present mostly in guys and mostly in the sport of football are just plain wrong. Our university research shows that the sports of soccer, ice hockey and basketball, there is a higher rate of concussions in females than males. We have shared this research at:
Wow, that is really scary. And why the focus only on females? Want to know what else is scary....the half time SNACK! Click here to find out more about talkin' smack about the half-time snack. Go Team GO! http://www.jiggyhealth.com/uncategorized/talkin-smack-about-ayso-snack/