Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America
Epidemiology of Youth Sports Concussion
Section snippets
Sports concussion
Estimates of the frequency of sports concussion are truly estimates. Before 2006, an often quoted number for total sports-related concussion in the United States was 300,000 per year. This number is based on data from 1991 National Health Interview Survey in which 46,700 households (120,000 persons) were interviewed, and, from these data, it was estimated that 1.54 million mild head injuries occurred in the year 1990 in the United States. Around 20% of these injuries occurred during sports
Youth sports concussion
On May 20, 2010 the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) gave testimony before the House Committee on Education and Labor regarding the occurrence of concussion in high school sports. The GAO believed that the “overall estimate of occurrence is not available.”5 Multiple definitions for concussion, poor recognition of this condition, and underreporting in the high school setting lead to the assumption that concussion is probably underestimated in youth sports.6
Yard and Comstock7 studied 100
General considerations
It is well documented that high school athletes with concussions take longer to recover than collegiate and adult athletes.9, 10
Adults and professional athletes usually recover relatively quickly from concussion with cognitive testing returning to baseline within 3 to 5 days of initial injury. College athletes show an average recovery time of 5 to 7 days. High school athletes take even longer to heal, with average recovery times of 10 to 14 days.6
Concussions in high school sports occur much
Selected youth sports
All numbers mentioned later are for the United States (unless otherwise specified).
Concussion incidence studies are often published using a rate of injury per occurrence per 1000 athletic exposures (AE). AE are defined as an athletes' participation in a single practice or competition. To give a rough estimate, 15 athletes playing in a game or practicing 5 days per week for 3 months (13 weeks) gives 975 AE. Thus, a rate of 0.5 injuries per 1000 AE requires an injury to 1 out of 30 athletes
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Public Attitudes and Knowledge About Youth Sports Participation and Concussion Risk in an Urban Area
2018, Journal of the National Medical AssociationCitation Excerpt :By 2014, all 50 states and the District of Columbia had passed such legislation which has resulted in an up-trend in the number of reported concussions.14 However, the actual incidence of concussions at all levels of play in children and adolescents is not well-documented,15–19 and is believed to err towards vast under-reporting.20 During this same time period, the public has remained divided about the appropriateness of tackle football for children,21–23 although there has been a decline in the number of children between the ages of 6–17 playing tackle football—from 3.96 million played in 2009 to 3.25 million in 2014.21
Attitudes and Counseling Practices of Pediatricians Regarding Youth Sports Participation and Concussion Risks
2017, Journal of PediatricsCitation Excerpt :These data are consistent with a single-institution report that identified a 38% increase in concussion incidence in the emergency department between 2007 and 2011, mostly attributed to increases in sports-related concussions.13 Despite increased physician and public awareness, research continues to reveal the vast underreporting of this “silent” injury.5,14-16 A 2012 study found that only 28% of physicians had access to a protocol specific to concussions and almost 40% did not have discharge instructions.9
Current Attitudes and Beliefs in Interdisciplinary Return to Play Management for Pediatric Concussion: A Survey
2022, Journal of Sport RehabilitationKnowledge and attitude among Malaysian secondary school athletes on sports-related concussion
2022, Cakrawala PendidikanEpidemiology of Concussive Brain Injury
2019, Concussion and Traumatic Encephalopathy: Causes, Diagnosis, and Management
These authors have nothing to disclose.