Purposeful heading during a season does not influence cognitive function or balance in female soccer players

Soccer participation, especially among females, is growing in popularity in the United States. Purposeful heading, an important soccer skill, has recently been scrutinized for safety reasons. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a relationship between purposeful heading and scores on cognitive function and balance in high-school and collegiate female soccer players. Prior to and following the soccer season, all players and members of the control group were given a battery of neuropsychological and balance tests. There were no significant correlations found between the total number of game headers and performance on either balance or neuropsychological testing. Differences were noted in adjusted balance scores postseason between the collegiate players and the other two groups. However, no differences were revealed in neurocognitive performance between the three groups.