Olfactory Ability in Professional and Collegiate Soccer Players

The #1 neurologic cause of olfactory deficit is from head trauma, often from car accidents. However, head trauma sufficient to cause olfactory deficit also occur in a variety of different situations, including head injury from sportive activities (i.e., boxing). Soccer players frequently head butt the ball, which may be a mild form of repeated head trauma. The effect of recurrent head butting, especially on olfactory function, has never been determined. To help delineate this, Dr. Hirsch is currently studying soccer players and assessing their olfactory ability.