Sports

Soccer players can suffer ankle sprains in a variety of ways. Many can be prevented if simple steps are followed.

Little League Baseball® and Little League Softball® require the use of safety-release or break-away bases, because a traditional stationary base, bolted to a metal post and sunk into the
ground, is a rigid obstacle for an athlete to encounter while sliding
and poses a clear safety hazard.

Two new studies suggest that heading in soccer may result in weaker mental performance, including a decline in cognitive function, difficulty in verbal learning, planning and maintaining attention and reduced information processing speed. The short term study found that recent heading by players who headed with "moderate-to-high frequency" led in some cases to weaker neurocognitive performance. The long-term effects are less clear. One study found that lifetime heading had "no significant or strong effect... on neuropsychological performance." But the other reached a different conclusion, noting "players with the highest lifetime estimates of heading had poorer scores on scales measuring attention, concentration, cognitive flexibility and general intellectual functioning."

Since 1999 several studies have suggested that repeated heading of a soccer ball may result in the short term in weaker mental performance. The long term effects of repeated heading are less clear. "Until further studies clarify the risks, there should be a yellow warning signal going out, say experts, who suggest in the meantime a number of safety precautions.