Any experiences with soccer concussions in school-aged kids
 

My 12-year-old son has a bleeding disorder and I am concerned with the potential for concussions and/or head trauma should he play soccer. Does anyone have any information you can provide to me regarding how rough the sport can be and/or the potential for sustaining concussions in the sport?

You can try our search tool, I know soccer/concussions have been posted about in the past.
Your Dr should be able to give some risk percentages for your son's specific condition.
Maybe track would be a better sport.

Anna, Welcome to Neurotalk.

There is extensive experience with concussions and soccer.

The issue is simple. A soccer player should never head the ball.

A dangerous area is in the goal box during corner kicks when headers or high kicks are common.

In some states, heading the ball is not allowed during school soccer team games, especially at 14 yo or younger.

I have personal experience as a 15 year old sophomore. I suffered a head trauma from heading the ball that was a life changer. It caused a decrease in academic performance and caused a mild seizure disorder. I regained most of my functions over the next year but never recovered some cognitive functions and became photosensitive (bright lights).

I switched to cross country and track and excelled.

Why not go along and watch a local under 13s organised game and see for yourself. Take the opportunity to chat to players parents on the touchline.
It's a great opportunity for your son to make friends and have fun.
Only you can decide if the benefits outweigh the risks.

Best wishes,
Atty

In middle school I used to kick the soccer ball around a lot in the yard after school. Sometimes I'd kick it as high into the air as I could and then head the ball (with incorrect technique) on the very top of my head.

After I headed the ball I would see what looked like a cloud of black dust in my division for a few seconds and I remember at the time thinking it was kind of interesting. Is that "seeing stars" or something else?

Probably did that at least 50 times or more in total and some days I remember doing it a few times in a row. Don't know if they were concussions, but it wasn't a good move. And the soccer balls I used were usually either underinflated or overinflated; they were also often covered in water. Never did use proper technique with the forehead since our soccer coaches tended to be parents who had never played soccer before. And so even in practice and games, I always hit the ball with the top of my head and never knew then of potential dangers.

Definitelty don't hit soccer headers, even with perfect technique.

There is no perfect technique. Hits to the top of the head are often sub-concussive impact that traumatize the skull to C-1 and C-1 to C-2 joints. They do not absorb impacts like the lower vertebral joints do.