When you think of an athlete who has suffered a 脑震荡 or other traumatic 脑损伤 (TBI), you might conjure up images of boys on the 足球 team ramming into each other at full speed. In every high school sport played by both girls and boys, 脑震荡 rates are higher among the girls. 而 足球 is the number one sport that sees the most 脑震荡s, girls’ soccer comes in second, with 8.4 脑震荡s per 10,000 games and practices.
研究表明 that female athletes have a longer recovery time than their male counterparts and may experience worse symptoms. 女性 and girls are participating in sports at increasing rates, and it’s important to recognize the difference in 脑震荡 symptoms and recovery so athletes get diagnosed and treated promptly and appropriately.
Reasons Behind the Frequency
而 there are physiological reasons why women are more susceptible to 脑震荡s, men are less likely to report symptoms of a 脑震荡. 女性, 另一方面, are more likely to seek out medical care, resulting in more documented cases of 脑震荡s in females.
“女性 tend to have thinner skulls than men, along with smaller neck muscles, which can predispose female athletes to getting a 脑震荡,” 莎拉·梅纳乔，医学博士, a 神经surgeon and 神经critical care specialist at University of Utah Health. “Data shows that women are also more likely than men to report 脑震荡-related symptoms, and these symptoms can persist for a longer time period prior to recovery than in male athletes.”
Understanding the Difference in Symptoms
Concussions occur after a blow to the head. 在体育, this can happen after colliding with another athlete, such as during a header in soccer, or after being hit with a ball or other equipment, like a field hockey or lacrosse stick. This impact causes the brain to jostle around inside the skull, which can cause bleeding and other injuries to the brain.
After suffering a 脑震荡, women and men both may experience telltale signs, including:
- 头疼
- Nausea and vomiting
- 失忆
- 混乱
- Ringing in the ears
- 乏力
- 视力模糊
然而, women often present their symptoms differently than men.
“女性 will often note more difficulty with vision and memory following a 脑震荡 but are less likely to experience a loss of consciousness than male athletes,梅纳乔说. “Female athletes may also experience more trouble with mood-related symptoms like anxiety, 抑郁症, and difficulty sleeping but are less likely to report feeling more irritable after a 脑震荡 than male athletes.”
Female athletes also tend to have longer recovery times than males, though this isn’t always the case. Recent studies have shown that men typically recover from their 脑震荡s significantly faster 比女人. This is thought to be because women may experience more severe symptoms, which require more time to resolve before returning to sports.
Preventing Concussions to Stay in the Game
Sports can be unpredictable, and injuries are sometimes inevitable. 然而, schools and sports programs can take some measures to reduce the number of 脑震荡s, especially among female athletes. These measures include:
- Implementing the use of protective head gear. Few women’s sports require the use of helmets by all their players, even if the male version of the game does, like lacrosse for example.
- 规则的改变. In 2015, the United States Soccer Federation banned heading of the ball for all athletes under the age of 10.
- 待通知. Knowing that female athletes are more susceptible to 脑震荡s during sports can help coaches, 父母, and the athletes themselves know when to seek medical attention.
“任何运动员, 男性或女性, with concern for a sports-related 脑震荡 should be immediately removed from play and assessed by a trained medical professional,梅纳乔说. “The effects of multiple head injuries can lead to permanent cognitive damage and a predisposition to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, so it’s crucial that head injuries are treated immediately to prevent long-term issues.”