High School Football Players Suffer More Symptoms After Concussion: Study
High school football players are more likely to
suffer more symptoms after a concussion, and to need more recovery time
than their college counterparts, a new study finds.
But those who play in youth football leagues are the most likely to
get back on the field less than 24 hours after a concussion, the
researchers discovered.
"The finding related to return-to-play under 24 hours being the
highest in the youth level is surprising, but may be the result of young
football players struggling to identify concussion symptoms and express
how they feel [to coaches or trainers]," explained lead researcher
Zachary Kerr, from the Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and
Prevention, in Indianapolis.
With mounting evidence suggesting that concussions that happen
earlier in life have a cumulative effect on the developing brain,
finding ways to better spot and treat these serious head injuries in
younger players is more pressing than ever.
For the study, Kerr and his colleagues analyzed data from three
injury programs. They found that more than 1,400 sports-related
concussions were reported among youth, high school and college football
players from 2012 to 2014. The most common symptoms reported were
headache, dizziness and difficulty concentrating.
Overall, about 15 percent of players did not return to play for at
least 30 days after a concussion, while 3 percent returned to play less
than 24 hours after being injured, the researchers found.
The study found that high school football players had the highest
average number of reported symptoms of concussion (5.60), followed by
college athletes (5.56) and younger players (4.76).
For high school players, the likelihood of returning to play at least
30 days after concussion was higher (19.5 percent) than younger players
(just over 16 percent), or college football players (7 percent), the
researchers found.
The researchers suggested biological factors, such as puberty and
brain development, may explain the differences in recovery time among
the age groups.
Meanwhile, the youngest players were the most likely to return to
play less than 24 hours after suffering a concussion (10 percent),
followed by college (close to 5 percent) and high school players (just
under 1 percent), Kerr added.
It's vital to educate young football players about concussions, as
well as parents, coaches and officials on recognition and management of
these head injuries, Kerr said. "Appropriate medical care includes
managing and returning players to the game at the appropriate time," he
said.
Most colleges have an athletic trainer on the field during football
games and practices to help spot and treat injuries, Kerr said.
"However, a number of high schools do not have access to a full-time
athletic trainer, and many youth football leagues do not have any
access. An investment in an athletic trainer at these games and
practices is an investment in the health and safety of our adolescent
and children athletes," he said.
The study findings were published online May 2 in the journal
JAMA Pediatrics.
About 3 million young kids, 1 million high school students and
100,000 college athletes play football each year, the researchers said.
Sports-related concussions, which can cause emotional, mental and
sleep-related symptoms, are gaining more attention among players,
coaches and parents, the researchers added.
Many factors influence how concussions are managed at different age
levels, said Dr. John Kuluz, director of traumatic brain injury and
neurorehabilitation at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami.
For example, "college coaches are all over these kids in terms of
monitoring, treating and taking them out of class and seeing that they
rest," he said.
High school and middle school is a different story, where "it's a
chore trying to get these kids accommodations to recover from a
concussion," Kuluz said.
High school teachers have academic demands and players are often reluctant to admit they have symptoms, he added.
"Some kids are high achievers. They don't want any accommodations.
They want to play so badly they don't admit to having symptoms," Kuluz
explained.
"In many cases, high school students are ridiculed or not believed
when they report symptoms of a concussion," he said. "I see that all the
time."
High schools have to allow these athletes time to recover, Kuluz said.
Luckily, students are becoming savvier, he added: "My hope is that
athletes are going to get even smarter about concussions. It's all up to
the athletes reporting the symptoms."
More information
For more information on concussion, visit the
American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
