Now, new research indicates that concussed high school athletes who receive neuropsychological testing are sidelined longer, indicating that many concussions among younger athletes go undetected without adequate screening.

Using data provided by the High School Reporting Information Online, researchers compiled info on nearly 550 concussions recorded by U.S. student athletes during the 2008-09 school year. Most notable among their findings was that while next-gen, computerized testing was used in only 26 percent of concussions, those athletes were far more likely to be sidelined more than a week, as compared to those who did not receive such high-level diagnosing.

The authors claim their work to be “the first study, of which we are aware, to query the use of computerized neuropsychological testing in high school athletes using a large, nationally representative sample.”

Additionally, researchers found that more than 76 percent of concussions were caused by contact with another player, encompassing both teammates and opponents. More encouraging is the finding that nearly 85 percent of athletes reported “resolution” of their symptoms in less than a week.

Less encouraging, however, is the finding that 1.5 percent (eight athletes in the sample size) reported symptoms that lasted longer than a month. Or, that while 57 percent of all concussions were reported by football players (see above), they were less likely than athletes in other sports to receive neuropsychological testing to reach a diagnosis.

Yes, there have been great strides made this year regarding awareness of concussions and traumatic brain injuries, but eventually high schools and administrators overseeing all sports will have to get even more serious about testing these suspected cases of neurological injury. Without that, thousands more concussions will continue going unreported and under-treated every year.

Image: Flickr/slapstix55, CC

Citation: W. P. Meehan, P. d’Hemecourt, R. D. Comstock. High School Concussions in the 2008-2009 Academic Year: Mechanism, Symptoms, and Management. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2010; 38 (12): 2405 DOI: 10.1177/0363546510376737

See Also:

• For Football Players, Concussions Can Be More Harmful
• Neurologists Call for Strict Sports-Concussion Guidelines
• Report: MLB Considering Shorter Disabled List for Concussions …
• Making Headway in the Fight Against Concussions
• For Young Athletes, Concussions Pose a Growing Problem

Authors: Erik Malinowski

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