Footballers who make a lot of headaches are about three times more likely to develop concussion symptoms, according to a new small US scientific study, which points out that this issue has been underestimated to date as a potential health problem.
Players who bang their heads in a collision - and this happens two or more times in a fortnight - are even more at risk, as they are six times more likely to have a concussion.
Previous studies have linked the risk of concussion only to accidents such as hitting a player in the head with another player's head or a crossbar.
But new research highlights the potential danger from the heads themselves.
Researchers, led by Michael Lipton, a professor of radiology and psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, published in the journal Neurology of the American Academy of Neurology. 222% were men.
Men made an average of 44 heads per fortnight, while women 27.
Headaches were reported by 37% of men and 43% of women. Of those who had had such a collision, 20% had moderate to very severe concussion symptoms (headache, confusion, dizziness, etc.), even if they had not been formally diagnosed with concussion.
It remains unclear whether the findings of the study are valid in the case of professional footballers. However, Lipton stated that "headaches and not just headaches are associated with concussion symptoms.
"Our findings raise concerns about the long-term consequences of headaches, and more research is needed on this issue."
Studies in the past have shown that concussion - single or recurrent - can cause a variety of neurological problems.
Source: RES - EIA