Athletes with concussions risk lower extremity injuries at return-to-sport

Athletes who sustain concussions have a more than three and a half times risk for developing lower extremity injuries 90 days after return-to-sport than players without a concussion.

“These results may have clinical implications ranging from pre-season injury risk stratification to post-concussion rehabilitation practices to return to play considerations,” Daniel Herman, MD, PhD, of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., stated in a press release.

Herman and colleagues collected data from 49 concussed and 90 non-concussed athletes at a NCAA Division I university between 2006 and 2011 from men and women’s lacrosse, soccer and basketball, according to the abstract.

Daniel Herman

They reviewed a 90-day period after return-to-sport for concussed athletes and measured that time against a similar 90-day window for non-concussed athletes. Lower extremity injuries recorded were muscle strains/tears, or ligament sprains/ruptures resulting in time lost.

The odds of lower extremity injury occurring in concussed patients were 3.79 times higher than in patients who did not have concussions despite the amount of time lost due to concussions similar in both groups.

Reference:

Herman D. Paper #R2013-082. Presented at: American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting; April 17-21, 2013; San Diego.

Disclosure: Herman has no relevant financial disclosures.