Sports Activity After a Concussion Slows Recovery

Student athletes who return to sports quickly after a concussion appear to have a slower brain recovery than teens who stay off the field longer, a new study shows.

The report, from The Journal of Athletic Training, suggests that athletes who suffer from even mild concussions should slow down their return to the sports field. In fact, students with less severe injuries appeared to be those who return to sports the fastest. But resuming intense physical activity appeared to slow their recovery and even exacerbated their symptoms.

“By continuing with high levels of activity, they began to exhibit similar symptoms to those who initially experienced a more severe concussion,” said Jason P. Mihalik, an athletic trainer from the University of North Carolina and an author of the study.

The researchers tracked the medical records and activity levels of 95 student athletes, including 15 girls, who had suffered concussions in school sports. The students were evaluated using cognitive tests immediately after the concussion and in follow-up visits. The data showed that athletes who engaged in the highest level of activity soon after the initial injury tended to demonstrate the worst neurocognitive scores and slowest reaction times. Students fared better if they didn’t return immediately to their sport but instead simply engaged in normal school and home activities.

The study data reflect a general trend showing lower visual memory and reaction scores during the month following the injury among athletes who returned to their sports quickly after a concussion. But the data can’t be used to make specific recommendations about how long students should stay off the field after a concussion, which depends on the extent of the individual injury. However, the study does show that when it comes to concussions, the more time off to heal, the better.

Every year there are more than 300,000 sports-related concussions in the United States, and more than 60,000 cases occur among high school students. The study authors said that the results highlight the notion that concussion management may need to include recommendations regarding return to all activities, including school, work and daily chores, and not just sport-specific activities.

“Given the health issues associated with concussion, which may last longer than once thought, the decision on when and how to return an athlete not only to the playing field, but also to normal day-to-day activity, has begun receiving attention as a national health issue,” Mr. Mihalik said.

Part of the problem is that the culture of student athletics tends to reward students who stay on the field after a head injury, as reported in this Times story. The story is accompanied by this interactive graphic detailing numerous high school sports injuries.

And I recommend watching both of the following videos about what can happen when students suffer concussions on the field.