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Concussion outcomes mostly unrelated to impact location
Concussion outcomes were not significantly associated with impact location among high school football players, according to recent study findings in Pediatrics.
Zachary Y. Kerr, PhD, MPH, of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and colleagues assessed data from a Web-based sports injury surveillance system, in which athletic trainers from an average of 84 schools report injury incidence and athlete-exposure information weekly throughout the academic year. Reported concussions included in the study occurred during the 2008-2009 and 2012-2013 school years.
There were 2,917 football-related concussions reported during the study period. Of the 2,526 concussions included in analysis, 1,486 (58.8%) occurred during competition and 1,040 (41.2%) occurred during practice. Concussions occurred during 2,517,207 athlete-exposures, an injury rate of 10 concussions from player-to-player collisions per 10,000 athlete-exposures.
Approximately 45% of concussions caused by player-to-player collisions were from front-of-the-head impacts; 22.3% were side-of-the-head impacts; 5.7% were back of the head; and 5.5% were top of the head. There were 551 concussions that had unknown impact location. More concussions from player-to-player collisions occurred during competition compared with practice. The rate of reported football-related concussions from player-to-player collisions increased during the study period.
Approximately 10% of concussions caused by player-to-player impact were recurrent. Twenty-three percent of recurrent concussions occurred during the same academic year. Concussion recurrence was not associated with impact location.
Athletes with concussions from player-to-player impact reported an average 4.6 ± 2.3 symptoms. Number of symptoms was not associated with impact location. However, those with recurrent concussions caused by side-of-the-head or top-of-the-head impacts reported a higher average number of symptoms compared with athletes with new concussions.
Headache, dizziness/unsteadiness, difficulty concentrating and confusion/disorientation were commonly reported symptoms. No specific symptom was associated with impact location, except for loss of consciousness. More athletes who sustained top-of-the-head impact concussions experienced loss of consciousness than those with concussions from impacts to all other areas of the head (8% vs. 3.5%).
Symptom resolution time ranged from less than 1 day to more than 1 week among athletes with concussions from player-to-player impact. Those with recurrent concussions had a longer symptom resolution time compared with those with new concussions. Nearly 75% of athletes returned to play within 3 weeks from date of injury. Length of time until return to play was not associated with impact location.
“Our findings suggest that among concussions sustained due to impacts to different areas of the head during player-to-player collisions in high school football, few differences exist among the symptomology, resolution time of symptoms, and time until return to play,” the researchers concluded.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
