Soccer $m@r+s!(Brief Article)

Soccer moms can now rest easy. A study by Dr. Donald Kirkendall and colleagues at the University of North Carolina suggests that "heading" the ball in soccer does not put players at a risk of head injury.

Kirkendall reviewed numerous studies on the subject and his conclusions were reported in Sports Medicine, a scientific journal.

"With purposeful heading, the impact is low," Kirkendall told Better Nutrition. He found that previous studies, which suggested heading can lead to injuries, were often flawed because there were uncontrolled variables, such as the player's history and age, the material the ball was made of, alcohol and drub intake and learning disabilities.

"This doesn't mean that a ball can't cause injury," Kirkendall clarified. "All sports have injuries that are inherent to the game."

In soccer, Kirkendall said, head injuries are fourth on the list. Ankle injuries were number one, followed by knee and lower leg ...