Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

When Kids Take Soccer Field, Can Their Safety Be in Jeopardy?

Aired June 21, 2002 - 08:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Kids across the globe are cheering on their teams. But when kids take the field, can their safety be in jeopardy? Our medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta joins us now with more on playing it safe.

Sanjay, good morning.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

Yes, no doubt, soccer is a hugely popular sport, and for good reason. It is a pretty safe sport, for the most part. But no doubt, we've seen a lot of pictures of folks actually heading the ball here in professional soccer games, and that can look a little dangerous, no question. You actually -- a lot of kids see these maneuvers and want to do it themselves. That has got a lot of concern amongst doctors and parents about the safety of head injuries and the possibility of head injuries for kids who actually head the ball like that.

But for the most part, it is a pretty safe thing. There's been a lot of debate about this, because soccer is so wildly popular, it has been become something that's been studies quite a bit. And what they have found actually that there is a proper way to head the ball, and this becomes sort of a critical element, especially for kids. As one expert put it, it involves making yourself bigger than the ball and what that means tensing your neck muscles back here, hitting the ball with the forehead, right above the eyeline, and actually absorbing the entire shock of the ball into the entire body, as opposed to just the head. If that happens, actually it can be a pretty safe thing.

There are actually surprisingly few head injuries with soccer, despite those -- some of those dramatic headings we see.

KAGAN: But, Sanjay, if the kids don't use their head correctly, what happens to the brain?

GUPTA: That can with a serious problem. I actually have a brain model here. I'll pull this one, Daryn.

KAGAN: Just happen to have a brain standing by. Nothing like a neurosurgeon, just having a brain.

GUPTA: I never go anywhere without my brain, let me tell you.

KAGAN: Yes, that's a good thing, Sanjay. GUPTA: In the model here, you will see, as I was mentioning, you really want to get the impact of the ball on the forehead, right above the eyes. A lot of kids you'll see, if you watching them closely, they are actually heading the ball at the top of the head, and repeated blows to the top of the head can weaken some of the blood vessels around the top of the head. And with time, concussions or repeating blows to the head can actually cause bleeding, and that obviously can be a serious problem.

It really involves trying to make the kids learn how to head the ball properly. Also, one other thing is that kids up their a lot of times, and when they're heading the ball, it's not so much the ball itself that's a problem, but two kids going up at the same time actually colliding heads or colliding with a goal post or something like that; that can be the real problem.

KAGAN: It sounds like kind of a weird image, but how about the idea of having kids wear helmets when they play the game?

GUPTA: It is a weird image. But people have actually talked about that. And I think for the most part, soccer experts have said, you know,we really need to just teach kids how to head the ball properly, as opposed to getting them to wear helmets, but helmets are actually an interesting thing, and helmets are something they use in a lot of different sports.

And here's another thing about helmets, is that they don't stop concussions; they don't prevent concussions. They don't stop blows to the head. They will stop life-threatening injuries to the head, but it doesn't mean that a lot of soccer or other sports enthusiasts will tell you, it doesn't mean that you're Superman suddenly just because you have a helmet on, you can go out and do anything. Certainly need to wear it for sports like baseball, skateboarding, roller skating, things like that, but not so much with soccer. That's been the consensus, at least for now.

KAGAN: Got it, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and his brains -- plural -- joining us from Atlanta.

Brains, the one here, and then the one there in just a moment.

Sanjay, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com