Abstract
Objective: There are growing concerns about the short- and long-term consequences of sports-related concussion, which account for about 5–9% of all sports injuries. We hypothesized there may be sex differences in concussion history and concussion-related symptoms, evaluated among elite soccer players in Sweden.Design: Retrospective survey study.Participants and Setting: Soccer players (n = 1,030) from 55 Swedish elite soccer teams. Questionnaires were completed prior to the start of the 2017 season.Assessment of Risk Factors: Player history of soccer-related concussion (SoRC), symptoms and management following a SoRC were evaluated.Main Outcome Measures: Before the start of the season the players completed a baseline questionnaire assessing previous concussions. The Sports Concussion Assessment Tool 3 was included with regard to symptom evaluation.Results: Out of 993 responding players 334 (34.6%) reported a previous SoRC and 103 players (10.4%) reported a SoRC during the past year. After sustaining a SoRC, 114 players (34.2%) reported that they continued their ongoing activity without a period of rest, more commonly female (44.9%) than male players (27.7%; P = 0.002). Symptom resolution time was 1 week or less for 61.3% of the players that reported having persisting symptoms. A positive correlation was observed between number of previous concussions and prevalence of three persisting symptoms: fatigue (P < 0.001), concentration/memory issues (P = 0.002) and headache (P = 0.047).Conclusion: About 35% of male and female elite soccer players in Sweden have experienced a previous SoRC, and about 10% experienced a SoRC during the last year. Female players continued to play after a SoRC, without a period of rest, more often than males. A higher risk of persisting symptoms was observed in players with a history of multiple concussions.
Highlights
The most recent definition of a sports-related concussion states that it is a subset of mild traumatic brain injury that is induced by a blow either directly to the head or to another part of the body with the force being transmitted to the head [1]
No sex differences were found in the frequency of previous concussions or previous soccerrelated concussions (SoRC) (Table 1)
Multiple concussions have previously been associated with slow recovery, memory impairment and poorer mental health [5,6,7, 37]
Summary
The most recent definition of a sports-related concussion states that it is a subset of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) that is induced by a blow either directly to the head or to another part of the body with the force being transmitted to the head [1]. Multiple concussions have been said to be associated with adverse health outcomes, slowed recovery of neurological function, and for a subset of individuals they may represent a risk of persistent post-concussion syndrome and plausibly chronic traumatic encephalopathy [5,6,7,8]. Females have a higher risk of sustaining a concussion in sports in which the rules are the same for men and women (i.e., soccer, basketball, baseball/softball) [9,10,11,12]
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