College football players who return to play after a concussion are at a greater risk of core, lower-extremity injury or another concussion, even when they are symptom-free, according to a new study presented at the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) 70th Clinical Symposia 7 AT Expo.
During the study, the researchers conducted a preseason screen on 89 National Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I football players and then tracked their injuries during the season. By the end of season 30 of the 89 athletes had suffered an injury, most commonly joint sprains and muscle strains.
According to the researchers, one of the biggest factors increasing the risk of being injured was having a prior concussion. Thirty-three of the 89 players had reported having had a concussion at the preseason screening.
Other factors that influenced their injury rates included how many games they played during the season and low scores on tests like the Sports Fitness Index survey, Visuomotor reaction time and Whole-body reactive agility prior to the start of the season. The researchers found that playing in five or more games during the season made players almost six times more likely to become injured than those players who played less than five games.
Sheila Acocello, Ph.D., ATC, assistant professor for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, said, “Some of the basic tests used for determining when an athlete is recovered from concussion aren’t sensitive enough and don’t fully tax the athlete to assess how well the brain and body are communication. So even when we believe athletes have recovered, they often aren’t fully ready to participate. More research is needed to determine how to effectively address this issue.”
“Concussions need to be managed by a multidisciplinary team, including a physician and athletic trainer, who can help athletes re-acclimate through therapies that mimic the environment they will experience when they return to their sport.”
She added, “We need to reassess how we rehabilitate athletes after an injury. Athletic trainers play key roles in injury prevention, including prescreening athletes and putting into place specific interventions to reduce their injury risk and assessing when it is safe for them to return to play.”
When asked if she recommends that players delay their return to the field after a concussion a little longer because of their findings, Acocello told OTW, “There is not a clear ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. That may be part of the overall approach in some individuals, but the bigger question is finding ways to better assess the subtle deficits that are in play with the increased risk of injury so that we can address them more effectively in our management protocols before returning athletes to activity.”
makes sense. a concussion injures frontal lobes, and decreases executive function, leading to decreased recognition and avoidance of injury producing situations, leading to more injuries, possibly leading to more concussions, and the cycle continues.