Title
Concussion-Recovery Trajectories Among Tactical Athletes: Results From the CARE Consortium.
Contributing USMA Research Unit(s)
Faculty Learning Innovation Collaboration and Research
Publication Date
7-1-2020
Publication Title
Journal of athletic training
Document Type
Article
Abstract
CONTEXT: Assessments of the duration of concussion recovery have primarily been limited to sport-related concussions and male contact sports. Furthermore, whereas durations of symptoms and return-to-activity (RTA) protocols encompass total recovery, the trajectory of each duration has not been examined separately.
OBJECTIVE: To identify individual (eg, demographics, medical history), initial concussion injury (eg, symptoms), and external (eg, site) factors associated with symptom duration and RTA-protocol duration after concussion.
DESIGN: Cohort study.
SETTING: Three US military service academies.
PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: A total of 10 604 cadets at participating US military service academies enrolled in the study and completed a baseline evaluation and up to 5 postinjury evaluations. A total of 726 cadets (451 men, 275 women) sustained concussions during the study period.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Number of days from injury (1) until the participant became asymptomatic and (2) to complete the RTA protocol.
RESULTS: Varsity athlete cadets took less time than nonvarsity cadets to become asymptomatic (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.75, 95% confidence interval = 1.38, 2.23). Cadets who reported less symptom severity on the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool, third edition (SCAT3), within 48 hours of concussion had 1.45 to 3.77 times shorter symptom-recovery durations than those with more symptom severity. Similar to symptom duration, varsity status was associated with a shorter RTA-protocol duration (HR = 1.74, 95% confidence interval = 1.34, 2.25), and less symptom severity on the SCAT3 was associated with a shorter RTA-protocol duration (HR range = 1.31 to 1.47). The academy that the cadet attended was associated with the RTA-protocol duration (P < .05).
CONCLUSIONS: The initial total number of symptoms reported and varsity athlete status were strongly associated with symptom and RTA-protocol durations. These findings suggested that external (varsity status and academy) and injury (symptom burden) factors influenced the time until RTA.
First Page
658
Recommended Citation
Van Pelt, Kathryn L; Allred, C Dain; Brodeur, Rachel; Cameron, Kenneth L; Campbell, Darren E; D'Lauro, Christopher J; He, Xuming; Houston, Megan N; Johnson, Brian R; Kelly, Tim F; McGinty, Gerald; Meehan, Sean K; O'Donnell, Patrick G; Peck, Karen Y; Svoboda, Steven J; Pasquina, Paul; McAllister, Thomas; McCrea, Michael; and Broglio, Steven P, "Concussion-Recovery Trajectories Among Tactical Athletes: Results From the CARE Consortium." (2020). West Point Research Papers. 591.
https://digitalcommons.usmalibrary.org/usma_research_papers/591
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