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Study indicates the reliability of preseason concussion testing for collegiate athletes

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Baseline concussion testing is a reliable evaluation tool for collegiate athletes, according to a recent study scheduled to appear in the January issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

Investigators for the study also found that baseline concussion tests on collegiate athletes do not need to be conducted every year and that performing the tests once every other year is adequate to assess concussion risk.

“To date, there is no guideline for how often baseline concussion assessments need to be updated,” Philip Schatz, PhD, an author of the study, stated in an American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) press release. “Our study evaluated the reliability of baseline test scores 2 years after the initial test. The results illustrate that the baseline scores were reliable and may contribute toward establishing guidelines on how often testing needs to take place.”

The investigators tested 95 collegiate athletes who underwent baseline testing during either their freshman or sophomore years and had the testing again 2 years later. The investigators excluded any student who sustained a concussion within those 2 years.

Schatz noted that the sample was limited to collegiate athletes and did not include football players. As such, the findings may not apply to youth athletes (high school age or younger) who are believed to be in a period of rapid cognitive maturation.

Schatz also cautioned that the results may not extend to football players, who have been shown to sustain unique concussive injuries, with respect to velocity and translational acceleration, as well as multiple subclinical collisions during the course of their athletic careers.

“Given the increased attention to concussion in the news and media, as well as increased scrutiny and oversight in the NFL, this is a critical stage in the evolution of concussion assessment and management techniques,” Schatz stated in the release. “We still need additional research comparing post-concussion data to baseline and updated baseline data – but at least we know now that baseline test data is reliable in the collegiate athlete for more than 1 year.”

• Reference:

www.aossm.org