Citation

Terwilliger V, Pratson L, Vaughan C, Gioia G. J. Neurotrauma 2015; 33(8): 761-765.

Affiliation

Children's National Medical Center, Neuropsychology, Rockville, Maryland, United States ; cvaughan@childrensnational.org.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/neu.2015.4082

PMID

26421452

Abstract

Repeat concussion has been associated with risk for prolonged and pronounced clinical recovery in athletes. In this study of adolescent athletes, we examined whether an additional head impact within 24 hours of a sports-related concussion (SRC) is associated with higher symptom burden and prolonged clinical recovery compared to a single-injury group. Forty-two student-athletes (52% male, mean age=14.9 years) diagnosed with an SRC in a concussion clinic were selected for this study: (1) 21 athletes sustained an additional significant head impact within 24 hours of the initial injury (additional-impact group), (2) 21 single-injury athletes, age and gender matched, who sustained only one discrete concussive blow to the head (single-injury group). Groups did not differ on initial injury characteristics or pre-injury risk factors. The effect of injury status (single- versus additional-impact) was examined on athlete and parent reported symptom burden (at first clinic visit) and length of recovery (LOR). Higher symptom burden was reported by the athletes and parents in the additional-impact group at the time of first visit. The additional-impact group also had a significantly longer LOR compared with the single-injury group. These findings provide preliminary, hypothesis-generating evidence for the importance of immediate removal from play following an SRC to protect athletes from re-injury, which may worsen symptoms and prolong recovery. The retrospective study design from a specialized clinical sample points to the need for future prospective studies of the relationship between single and additional-impact injuries on symptom burden and length of recovery.

Language: en