BACKGROUND: Concussions are frequent injuries sustained by collegiate athletes. They are often underdiagnosed and may lack adequate treatment due to a lack of standardization in diagnosis and return to play guidelines. Current research suggests that there is an increased risk of subsequent injury after returning to play among previously concussed athletes. Recurrent injuries have a detrimental impact on athletic careers and often result in early retirement from competitive sports. The relationship between sports-related concussions (SRCs) and subsequent musculoskeletal injuries in the NCAA reveals a lack of consensus on return to play (RTP) guidelines and management. Clinical guidelines are evolving with the progressive understanding of SRC pathophysiology. LITERATURE REVIEW FINDINGS: Previous research has found an association between concussion and subsequent acute musculoskeletal injuries, specifically lower extremity injuries. In addition, sports-specific athlete cohorts, such as soccer and football players, have been shown to have a high incidence of SRC. The exact mechanism of action linking SRC and subsequent acute injury is currently unknown. There are numerous etiologic possibilities offered in the literature, including gait alterations, neuromuscular control deficits, and impaired reaction time. However, further research is required to elucidate this relationship—in our review of the current literature we were able to find no studies evaluating the risk of both upper and lower extremity injury following SRC after returning to play in the NCAA population. PROPOSED PROJECT: The goal of the proposed retrospective cohort study of BU athletes is to evaluate the impact of concussion history on recurrent injury after returning to sports. Study inclusion criteria will consist of BU athletes diagnosed with concussions at a single NCAA Division I institution. This cohort will be collected from NCAA injury database and electronic medical records will be matched with controls who have not sustained concussions over the same period. CONCLUSIONS: History of concussion is associated with increased risk of recurrent injury in athletes, specifically at the collegiate level. Further work must be done at all levels of athletics to standardize return to play guidelines to prevent this increased risk of subsequent injury. SIGNIFICANCE: This study will help determine whether a relationship exists between concussion and subsequent sports-related injuries. This information may allow for closer monitoring of return to play and treatment of concussions. Additionally, it may encourage further developments to diagnostic criteria, education, and injury prevention.

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Bakgrund: Hjärnskakning i idrott är vanligt och det finns etablerade riktlinjer för identifiering, hantering och rehabilitering. För tidig återgång till idrott kan medföra risker. Kvalitativ forskning om idrottares upplevelser och erfarenheter av och om idrottsrelaterad hjärnskakning har ej påträffats. Syfte: Att undersöka hjärnskakningsdrabbade idrottares upplevelser och erfarenheter om hjärnskakning inom idrott samt återgång till idrottsaktivitet efter skadehändelsen. Metod: Data insamlades från fem idrottare med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer som analyserades med hjälp av innehållsanalys. Resultat: I studien framkom tre teman; ”Föranledd vårdkontakt”, ”Motiverande och hindrande faktorer för återgång till idrott”, samt ”Resonemang kring hjärnskakning” som innefattade bland annat att idrottarna upplevde undermålig information från vården gällande återgång till idrott efter hjärnskakning och att tränare hade bristande kunskap om omhändertagande vid idrottsskada. Idrottarna uppfattade ett behov av ökad kunskap. Stöttning och förståelse för idrottarens situation från omgivningen påverkade positivt för återgång medan press och rädsla för en ny hjärnskakning hämmade. Konklusion: Föreliggande studie har uppnått syftet att undersöka hjärnskakningsdrabbade idrottares upplevelser och erfarenheter om hjärnskakning samt återgång. Resultaten ökar förståelsen för idrottare som råkar ut för hjärnskakning i idrottssammanhang. Ytterligare forskning behövs för att bilda uppfattning om läget av idrottsrelaterad hjärnskakning i Sverige. / Background: Concussion in sport is common and there are established guidelines for identification, management and rehabilitation. Premature return to play may be dangerous. Qualitative research on athletes' experiences on sport-related concussion has not been found. Objective: To examine concussed athletes' perceptions and experiences about concussion in sports and return to play after their concussion. Method: Data was collected from five athletes using semi-structured interviews and was analyzed through content analysis. Results: Three themes emerged; "Cause for health care", "Motivations and hindrances on return to play", and "Reasoning about concussion”. They included for instance that athletes experienced poor information from health institutions regarding return to play, and coaches had insufficient knowledge of sport-injury management. The athletes perceived a need for increased knowledge. Support and understanding for the athlete's situation had a positive impact on the return to play while pressure and fear of a new concussion inhibited return to play. Conclusion: The objective to examine concussed athletes' perceptions and experiences about concussion in sports and return to play, has been achieved. The results increase our understanding for athletes who sustain concussions in sports. Further research is needed to form an estimation of ​​the extent of sports-related concussions in Sweden.

Incidents and awareness of sports-related concussion have grown in recent years, attracting attention in both the academic and popular press. These concussions can lead to the rapid onset of neurological dysfunctions, as well as a variety of subjective symptoms. Although concussive sequelae are typically considered transient, debate remains about the persistent effects of repeated traumatic contact during sport participation. Although research has examined the complications of head trauma found in traditionally popular sports (e.g., football, soccer, boxing), little research has focused on the growing sport of mixed-martial-arts (MMA). Research specifically pertaining to MMA is in nascent stages, but to-date studies suggest that concussive injuries for this sport are prevalent and the training regimens of these athletes may place them at a high risk for concussive or subconcussive head traumas—as well as the accompanying neurological difficulties. The current study is the first to assess cognitive profiles of MMA athletes using an objective neuropsychological assessment instrument. Among 56 athletes (28 MMA athletes and 28 athletes not exposed to head traumas), no neuropsychological differences were found between groups of athletes. Additionally, no aspects of MMA training regimen shared a reliable relationship with neuropsychological performance or subjective concussive symptoms. This suggests non-professional participation in MMA may not typically pose a significant risk for cumulative concussions and associated adverse neuropsychological consequences.

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Speech Pathology and Audiology, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 54-59).

Background: To reduce the reliance on clinical judgment for the regulation of sports-related traumatic brain injury, identifying and measuring objective to biofluid biomarkers can provide important insight into the diagnosis (Determining the type and origin of a disorder) and prognosis (Determining the chance of survival of a disorder) of SR-TBIs. A biomarker is a qualitative or quantitative measurement that provides a measure of a subject’s physiological or pathological condition at a specific time or during a disease state. Recent literature has suggested that biomarkers can help in the screening of patients exhibiting symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Despite insights from recent research, it is not clear whether biomarkers and assessments of sports-related TBI are well-aligned. The objective of this study sought to review the current literature on predictive values of biomarkers: glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), calcium channel binding protein S100 subunit beta (S100β), total-tau and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) for sports-related Traumatic Brain Injuries (SR-TBIs) to improve comprehension of biological and clinical contexts that can help evaluate the use of these biomarkers in sports-related TBIs and their potential function. Methods: The study was reported based on guidelines recommended by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA: 2020 Edition) of 8 studies related to the assessment of biomarkers concerning SR-TBI. Literature searches were carried out on PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and ResearchGate. With an evidentiary table, the characteristics of the studies included in the meta-analysis (n = 14 studies) were presented. A significant role for biomarkers in the management of mild traumatic brain injury is suggested by the results of this analysis. From the literature, the significance of biomarkers in SR-TBI was identified along with the biomarkers that can facilitate more accurate clinical decision-making. Results:The initial search resulted in 73 articles, and the application of exclusion criteria and removal of duplicates resulted in the inclusion of 14 articles. Eight of the included studies were ([26], [27], [28], [30], [34], [39], [40], [41]), three were cohort studies ([25], [37], [45]) one was a pilot study [32], one interview, and an observational study [44]. The review was carried out to determine the efficacy of Biomarkers GFAP, S100β, Total-tau, and NSE to help in the screening of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in patients showing symptoms. The focus is on athletes presenting at an emergency department with possible mTBI requiring a CT scan based on the application of a clinical algorithm. A forest plot was utilized, and the studies had low heterogeneity or variability (P Conclusions: It was established that the utility of biofluid biomarkers in the prediction of mild traumatic brain injury due to SRC is significant when the markers are used in large combinations. The four biofluid biomarkers (S100β, total-tau, GFAP, NSE) under study have strong predictive ability for mTBI, and their use can reduce the number of CT scans among TBI patients participating in athletic activities. Although preliminary evidence shows that other diagnostic treatments may help to mitigate traumatic brain injury sequelae, clinical trials are needed to further test their efficacy, specifically with diverse and high-risk populations. Luckily, the research on mTBI biomarkers is rapidly advancing, and should these biomarkers be better established clinically, they could easily hold many important roles.