Good news for athletes who are slow to recover from a concussion
A new study suggests that athletes who recover more slowly from a concussion may be able to return to play with an additional month of recovery beyond the usual recovery time, according to a new study published in the Jan. 18, 2023, online issue. Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Slow recovery was defined as taking more than 14 days to resolve symptoms or taking more than 24 days to return to play, both of which are considered typical recovery times for approximately 80% of athletes with a concussion.
“Although an athlete may experience a slow or delayed recovery, there is reason to believe that recovery is achievable with additional time and injury management,” says study author Thomas W. McAllister, MD, of the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. “This is an encouraging message that can help remove some of the discouragement athletes may feel when trying to return to their sport. While some athletes took longer than 24 days to return to play, we found that three-quarters of them were able to return to the sport if you were given just a month to recover.”
The study examined 1,751 college athletes diagnosed with a concussion by a team physician. Of the athletes, 63% were male and 37% female. Male athletes mainly competed in football, soccer and basketball. Female athletes mainly competed in football, volleyball and basketball.
Participants were evaluated five times: within six hours of their injury, one to two days later, as soon as they were free of complaints, as soon as they were allowed to play again and after six months.
Participants reported symptoms to medical staff daily for up to 14 days post-injury and then weekly if they had not yet returned to play.
A total of 399 athletes, or 23%, experienced a slow recovery.
Researchers found that among athletes who took longer than 24 days to return to play, more than three-quarters, or 78%, were able to return to play within 60 days of injury, and four-fifths, or 83%, were able to resume. to return to play within 90 days of the injury. Only 11% had not returned to play six months after the injury.
For the slow-recovery group, the average time to return to play was 35 days post-injury, compared to 13 days in the overall group.
“The results of this study provide useful information for athletes and medical teams to consider when evaluating expectations and making difficult decisions about medical disqualification and the value of continuing with their sport,” McAllister said.
A limitation of the study is that the participants were all collegiate varsity athletes and may not be representative of other age groups or sport levels, and the results may not apply to other types of mild brain injuries.
The study was supported by the Grand Alliance Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education Consortium, National Collegiate Athletic Association, and the Department of Defense.
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