Abstract des Autors

Across all sports, special attention must be given to head injuries, since they are potentially serious and lead to a prolonged course in selected cases.42 Football, does not belong to the high-risk sports: in international championships (1998 to 2012) approximately 15% of all injuries were classified as head and neck injuries.31 Moreover, structural damage to the brain has rarely been described.15 On average 1 to 5% of all injuries or every seventh (14%) of all head and neck injuries was diagnosed as a concussion31, a subtype of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).4 The frequency of head injuries increases with the level of play and more injuries occur during match play than during training.31, 36, 47 Women seem at a higher risk than men, but it has not been scientifically proven, whether this is a real difference (e.g. physiological, hormonal or technical factors) or due to reporting bias.29, 31, 37, 38
One of the main challenges for the team physician is the difficulty of estimating the severity of the injury on the pitch or at the sideline.42 This diagnostic uncertainty is understandable, because a brain injury can be dynamic (i.e., its course can change unexpectedly and acutely). Likewise, a single objective diagnostic test or clinical marker for a direct early diagnosis of a concussion does not yet exist.18 As a result of the inherent vagueness in early assessments of head injuries, a standardized diagnostic and therapeutic approach, aimed at identifying occasional serious injuries is essential.13