Sports Medicine News

Testing using graded aerobic treadmill activity is safe, tolerable and clinically valuable in the evaluation and management of sports-related concussion in patients aged younger than 20 years, according to data published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics.

Concussion recovery times were twice as long if the athlete was not immediately removed from play, according to recent findings published in Pediatrics.

The increase in youth soccer-related injuries — particularly closed head injuries and concussions that have risen by an annual rate of almost 1,600% during a 25-year period — emphasizes the need for better prevention strategies, according to study findings published in Pediatrics.

A 6-month collaborative care model improved adolescents’ postconcussive symptoms significantly more than usual care, according to recent findings published in Pediatrics.

Traumatic brain injuries were diagnosed in 280,000 hospitalizations and 2.2 million ED visits in 2010, and contributed to the deaths of more than 50,000 individuals, according to the CDC.

Pediatricians should advise patients interested in athletics to participate in multiple sports, at least until puberty, as it can decrease the chances of injuries, stress and burnout, according to an AAP clinical report.

Children who had concussions showed that symptom exacerbations are common from one day to the next and are mostly temporary and overall not detrimental to recovery; thus, it is safe to return to school and sports at a gradual pace, according to findings.

Researchers found that administering the King-Devick Test four times was feasible in a mass screening of high school and junior high athletes and that this strategy may better capture variability in any one individual, according to a study in Optometry and Vision Science.

From 1997 to 2014, nonmedical prescription opioid and heroin use declined among adolescents engaged in sports and exercise, suggesting that sports participation may serve as a protective factor.

Rule or coaching changes to reduce head impact in player-to-player contact should be implemented to prevent greater head impact magnitude in high school football, according to study findings published in Pediatrics.