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Why sports concussions are worse for women

As women’s soccer, rugby and other sports gain popularity, scientists are racing to understand how the female brain responds to head injury.
  1. Katharine Sanderson

    1. Katharine Sanderson is a freelance journalist based in Cornwall, UK.

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Three players all compete for a header, almost making contact with the ball, at a UEFA Women's Champions League match 2019

Football players jump for a header at a UEFA women’s Champions League match in Décines-Charpieu, France, in March 2019. Credit: Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty

Liz Williams was standing pitchside at a women’s rugby match, and she did not like what she was seeing. Williams, who researches forensic biomechanics at Swansea University, UK, had equipped some of the players with a mouthguard that contained a sensor to measure the speed of head movement. She wanted to understand more about head injuries in the brutal sport. “There were a few instances when my blood went cold,” Williams said.

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Nature 596, 26-28 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02089-2

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