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(Reuters Health) – In season-long tests, soccer headgear didn’t reduce the overall number or severity of concussions experienced by high school players, U.S. researchers say.

Some of the five headgear models used in the trial, however, may have been better at reducing impact forces that lead to concussions, particularly among female players, the study authors report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

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“Female soccer is late to the party in terms of recognizing the number of injuries. So much focus has been on football that we haven’t recognized that females are more at risk for knee injuries and concussions,” said Timothy McGuine of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, who led the study.

High school female soccer players have about double the rate of concussions as males, he said, and based on participation numbers, that’s about the same rate reported among football players.