The recent literature has focused on the need for appropriate identification, assessment, and management of sports-related concussion. This article addresses current issues in the prevalence and assessment of sports-related concussion. Despite a paucity of research on female athletes and youth athletes, there is evidence that female athletes are at higher risk for injury than males and that con...

Millions of athletes in the United States experience concussions annually. Although helmets and mouth guards have decreased the risk of catastrophic head injuries, their protective effects on concussions are less clear. This article evaluates the current literature on the effect of equipment on concussions. Understanding the role that these equipment play in preventing concussions is complicate...

BACKGROUND The epidemiology of sports-related concussion is not well-described in the literature. This paper presents a descriptive epidemiology of concussion in seven high school and collegiate sports. METHODS We used the data from Concussion Prevention Initiative (CPI), which enrolled 8905 athletes at 210 high schools and 26 colleges in a prospective cohort study of 7 sports (football, men'...

Sports-related concussions are particularly common during adolescence, a time when even mild brain injuries may disrupt ongoing brain maturation and result in long-term complications. A recent focus on the consequences of repetitive concussions among professional athletes has prompted the development of several new experimental models in rodents, as well as the revision of guidelines for best m...

CONTEXT More than 1.6 million sport-related concussions occur every year in the United States, affecting greater than 5% of all high school athletes who participate in contact sports. As more females participate in sports, understanding possible differences in concussion symptoms between sexes becomes more important. OBJECTIVE To compare symptoms, symptom resolution time, and time to return t...

Because of the potential long-term consequences related to head injuries sustained in sports, awareness of concussions has increased. Because many concussive symptoms are nonspecific, especially the most commonly reported symptoms such as headache, a problem of overdiagnosis may cause practitioners to overlook other potential diagnoses. Health care providers must still be cautious when ruling o...

Drs. Prine [4], Smith [5], and Zaremski [6] as well as Toby Harkins, ATC recently presented at the Emerald Coast of Florida on Youth Safety in Sports Medicine [7]. Topics included Sports Related Concussions, Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes, Exertional Heat Illness, and Emergency Action Plans. Over 25 coaches from High Schools and Youth Sports Associations from the greater Destin/Niceville/Ft. ...

Sports-related concussion has emerged as a public health crisis due to increased diagnosis of the condition and increased participation in organized and recreational athletics worldwide. Under-recognition of concussions can lead to premature clearance for athletic participation, leaving athletes vulnerable to repeat injury and subsequent short- and long-term complications. There is overwhelming...

There has been a remarkable increase in the past 10 years in the awareness of concussion in the sports and recreation communities. Just as sport participants, their families, coaches, trainers, and sports organizations now know more about concussions, health care professionals are also better prepared to diagnose and manage concussions. As has been stated in the formal articles in this special ...