Do Sport-Related Concussions Later in the Season Take Longer to Recover From?

OBJECTIVE: In a cohort of high-school football athletes with sport-related concussion (SRC), we sought to investigate the role of seasonality, defined as time of injury during a season, on recovery. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Regional sport concussion center. PARTICIPANTS: High-school football athletes ages 14 to 19 -years old who sustained an SRC from 11, 2017 to 04, 2022. INTERVENTION: Athletes were divided into 3 groups based on seasonality: early, middle, and late season. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcomes were initial Post-Concussion Symptom Scale score and recovery, as defined by time to return-to-learn (RTL), symptom resolution, and return-to-play (RTP). Descriptive statistics, analysis-of-variance, t tests, and multivariable regressions were performed. RESULTS: Of our cohort of 273 high-school football players who sustained an SRC, 97 (35.5%) sustained an SRC during early season, 107 (39.2%) during middle season, and 69 (25.3%) during late season. Compared with late-season concussions, early-season concussions took less days to symptom resolution (early = 11.5 ± 12.9 vs late = 25.5 ± 27.0, P = 0.03), but no differences were found in days to RTL (early = 5.3 ± 4.8 vs late = 7.2 ± 15.8, P = 0.51) and RTP (early = 13.5 ± 11.8 vs late = 23.0 ± 22.8, P = 0.08). Seasonality was not a significant predictor for any recovery metric in multivariable regressions. CONCLUSION: Sport-related concussions occurring in the early third of the season took significantly less time to symptom resolution than those occurring in the later third of the season; however, this was not statistically significant in multivariable analyses. No association was observed between seasonality and time to RTL and RTP. A trend of worse recovery with concussions later in the season may be present.

Acute psychological symptom profiles in high school football players following sport-related concussion.

OBJECTIVE: In a cohort of high school football athletes, the authors sought to 1) describe the proportion of those with acute psychological symptoms postconcussion, 2) determine predictors of more acute psychological symptoms postconcussion, and 3) determine if acute psychological symptoms impact recovery. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of high school football athletes (14-18 years of age) who sustained a sport-related concussion between November 2017 and April 2022 and presented to a multidisciplinary concussion center was performed. Based on their Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS) scores at the initial clinic visit, their total psychological symptom cluster score was calculated by summing their scores for the four affective symptoms (irritability, sadness, nervousness, and feeling more emotional). The psychological symptom ratio was defined as the ratio of the psychological symptom cluster score to the total initial PCSS score. Primary outcomes included time to return to learn (RTL), symptom resolution, and return to play (RTP). Uni- and multivariable regression analyses were performed controlling for demographic factors, learning disabilities, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and personal and/or family history of psychological diagnoses and migraine. RESULTS: A total of 195 male football players (mean age 16.2 ± 1.2 years) were included in the study. About one-third of the sample (n = 70, 35.9%) reported at least one psychological symptom. Of these 70 athletes, their psychological symptom scores were 1 (10.3%), 2 (7.7%), and ≥ 3 (17.9%). Irritability was the most endorsed psychological symptom (25.1%), followed by nervousness (15.9%), feeling more emotional (12.8%), and sadness (11.8%). The multivariable regression model showed that a positive psychological history (B = 2.66, 95% CI 0.74-4.58, p = 0.007) and family psychological history (B = 2.43, 95% CI 0.98-3.88, p = 0.001) were significant predictors of a higher psychological symptom cluster score. Multivariable linear regression analysis showed that a higher psychological symptom cluster score was associated with a longer time to RTP (B = 1.22, 95% CI 0.17-2.264, p = 0.023) but not with time to symptom resolution or RTL. The psychological symptom ratio was not a significant predictor. CONCLUSIONS: In a cohort of male football players, 36% reported at least one psychological symptom, with irritability being most commonly reported. Athletes with a personal and/or family history of psychological disorders experienced more acute psychological symptoms following a sport-related concussion. A higher psychological symptom cluster score was associated with delayed time to RTP but not time to RTL or symptom resolution.

Return-to-learn after sport-related concussion: does school level matter?

OBJECTIVE: Return-to-learn (RTL) after sport-related concussion (SRC) is an important yet understudied topic. The authors sought to do the following: 1) describe patterns of RTL among athletes by school level (i.e., middle school, high school, college); and 2) evaluate the predictive value of school level on RTL duration. METHODS: A retrospective, single-institution cohort study of adolescent and young adult athletes 12-23 years old who sustained an SRC between November 2017 and April 2022 and who presented to a multidisciplinary specialty concussion clinic was conducted. The independent variable was school level, trichotomized into middle school, high school, and college. Time to RTL was the primary outcome and was defined as days from SRC to return to any academic activities. ANOVA was used to compare RTL duration across school levels. A multivariable linear regression was performed to evaluate for predictive value of school level on RTL duration. Covariates included the following: sex, race/ethnicity, learning disorder, psychiatric conditions, migraines, family history of psychiatric conditions/migraines, initial Post-Concussion Symptom Scale score, and number of prior concussions. RESULTS: Of 1007 total athletes, 116 (11.5%) were in middle school, 835 (83.0%) were in high school, and 56 (5.6%) were in college. The mean RTL times (in days) were as follows: 8.0 ± 13.1 (middle school), 8.5 ± 13.7 (high school), and 15.6 ± 22.3 (college). One-way ANOVA showed a statistically significant difference between groups (F[2, 1007] = 6.93, p = 0.001). A Tukey post hoc test revealed a longer RTL duration in collegiate athletes when compared to middle school (p = 0.003) and high school (p < 0.001) athletes. Collegiate athletes had longer RTL duration compared to other school levels (ß = 0.14, p < 0.001). There was no difference between middle school and high school athletes (p = 0.935). The subanalysis revealed a longer RTL duration in high school freshmen/sophomores (9.5 ± 14.9 days) when compared to juniors/seniors (7.6 ± 12.6 days; t = 2.05, p = 0.041), and being an older (junior/senior) high school athlete was predictive of shorter RTL duration (ß = -0.11, p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: When examining patients who presented to a multidisciplinary sport concussion center, RTL duration was longer in collegiate athletes when compared to middle and high school athletes. Younger high school athletes had longer time to RTL compared to their older counterparts. This study provides insight into how varying scholastic environments may contribute to RTL.