Abstract
BackgroundSchedule-based and in-season factors (e.g., competition type) have been shown to be associated with symptom reporting patterns and injury severity in sport-related concussion (SRC). To determine if acute neurocognitive and symptom presentation following SRC differ by time point within a high school football season.MethodsMulticenter ambispective cohort of high school football players who sustained a SRC (N = 2594). Timing (early, mid, and late season) of SRC was based on median dates for the start of the pre-season, regular season, and playoffs of each states’ football schedules. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) investigated differences across season period groups for: (1) neurocognitive test scores, (2) total symptom scores (TSS), and (3) individual symptom increases from baseline within 1-week post-injury.ResultsSignificant group differences were observed in TSS, F(2, 2589) = 15.40, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.01, and individual symptom increases from baseline, F(2, 2591) = 16.40, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.01. Significant increases were seen from baseline to both midseason and late season in both TSS, χ2 = 24.40, p < 0.001, Φ = 0.10 and individual symptoms, χ2 = 10.32, p = 0.006, Φ = 0.10. Post hoc tests indicated a linear trend, with late-season injured athletes reporting approximately twice the TSS (13.10 vs. 6.77) and new symptoms (5.70 vs. 2.68) as those with early-season injuries.ConclusionIn a cohort of American high school football student-athletes, those suffering SRC in the late-season time period had increased acute symptom burden. SRC sustained later in-season may require more conservative management.
Highlights
Schedule-based and in-season factors have been shown to be associated with symptom reporting patterns and injury severity in sport-related concussion (SRC)
Baseline Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) testing was conducted in group settings during the pre-season and under the supervision of a sports medicine professional trained in the administration of ImPACT [38]; group sizes or administration procedures may have slightly varied across sites
Compared to the early-season group, athletes injured in the late-season period reported almost twice as many individual symptom increases from baseline following SRC
Summary
Schedule-based and in-season factors (e.g., competition type) have been shown to be associated with symptom reporting patterns and injury severity in sport-related concussion (SRC). To determine if acute neurocognitive and symptom presentation following SRC differ by time point within a high school football season. Sport-related concussion (SRC) accounts for 25–50% of all concussions sustained by children [1, 2] and occurs in roughly 1.1 to 1.9 million US athletes ≤ 18 years [3]. Two recent studies from the 2008/2009–2012/2013 and 2011/2012–2013/2014 seasons estimate the current rate of SRC among high school football players to be 8.2–9.21/10,000 athletic exposures [8, 9]. A recent report by the Institute of Medicine called for more research surrounding SRC risk in athletes aged 5 to 21 years [13]. In the acute post-concussion period, factors such as sex [25], history of concussion [26, 27], ADHD [28], and age [15, 29] have been shown to increase neurocognitive deficits, while sex or pre-existing psychiatric disorders have been associated with higher acute total symptom scores [30,31,32]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
