ArticleFrontiers in sports and active living2025
The effect of football (soccer) heading on gross and fine motor control in women.
Article in Frontiers in sports and active living, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Risk of Cognitive Decline in Professional Soccer Players after Repetitive Subconcussive Impacts: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Neurologia medico-chirurgica · 2026Pooled it
- Brain MRI findings associated with soccer heading: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neuroradiology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Heading is an integral component of football, but concerns remain about its impact on brain health. This study examines the acute effects of heading on gross and fine motor control as a measure of the motor-cognitive function of women footballers. Methods: The heading protocol for this study represented the typical exposure to headers experienced in the women's game: one every 10 min, for one hour, replicating a corner kick. A sample of 19 female collegiate football (soccer) players participated in two sessions: a control session, and a heading intervention. Gross motor control was assessed via measures of sway during standing balance, and fine motor control was evaluated using a precision finger grip task. Results: Results showed no significant changes in gross motor control, based on postural sway parameters. However, significant alterations were observed in fine motor control in the tremor frequency (0-4 Hz band) of precision gripping, indicating a potential change in motor-cognitive function following the heading task. Discussion: The findings suggest that exposure to the number and type of headers that might be performed over a typical football match does not impair standing balance, but it may affect fine motor control. Future research should look to incorporate brain imaging and electrophysiological measures to further understand the mechanisms underpinning changes in fine motor control performance after heading.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.