Teen Athletes Should Get Concussion Test Score Before Play
THURSDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) — Individual concussion baselines
need to be created for young athletes at the start of a playing season for
them to be accurately diagnosed and treated if they suffer a concussion
during the season, researchers report.
The investigators also noted that the sex of the players affects the
scores on a standardized concussion assessment tool.
The study included 1,134 high school athletes in the Phoenix area who
completed a brief questionnaire regarding their concussion history and
were given a score based on the new Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-2
(SCAT2).
There were 872 males and 262 females, average age 15, included in the
study. The predominant sports were football for the males and volleyball
for the females.
Females scored significantly higher than males on the SCAT2 total
score, and athletes with a prior history of concussion scored much lower
on the SCAT2 than those with no history of concussion.
The findings were slated for presentation Thursday at the annual
meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) in
San Diego.
“Our results showed that otherwise healthy adolescent athletes do
display some variability in results so establishing each player’s own
baseline before the season starts and then comparing it to test results
following a concussion leads to more accurate diagnosis and treatment,”
study author Dr. Anikar Chhabra, of the Orthopaedic Clinic Association in
Phoenix, said in an AOSSM news release.
“This data provides the first insight into how the SCAT2 scores can be
used and interpreted as a sideline concussion tool and as an initial
baseline analysis. With concussions accounting for approximately 9 percent
of all high school athletic injuries, accurately utilizing assessments
like these to quickly determine an athlete’s return-to-play probability is
critical to long-term athletic and educational performance,” Chhabra
said.
Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and
conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a
peer-reviewed journal.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about concussion in sports.