Perspective of United States Judo Coaches on Concussion: A National Survey

Abstract

Concussions among athletes in contact sports are a prevalent health concern in the United States. There are few studies that have assessed concussion from the perspective of judo coaches. This is a descriptive study of a survey sent to 1,056 United States judo coaches assessing their attitudes, knowledge, and practices toward concussion. The survey had a response rate of 21%, with 215 total responses. Though most coaches could accurately identify common symptoms of concussion from a case presentation, many also misidentified nonconcussion and red flags (e.g., facial droop) as symptoms of concussion. A minority of coaches reported any formal training in concussion management. USA Judo coaches are receptive to and would benefit from a sport-specific standardized concussion training program.