Findings from large study of collegiate athletes show 85 percent returning to play at 28 days<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 15, 2021 (HealthDay News) — For most collegiate athletes, recovery from sport-related concussion may take up to one month, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Sports Medicine<\/em>.<\/p>\n Steven P. Broglio, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues longitudinally followed 34,709 collegiate student-athletes from 30 academic institutions to determine the time (days) from injury until initiation of a return to participation (RTP) protocol and time from injury until medical clearance for unrestricted RTP.<\/p>\n The researchers identified 1,751 concussed athletes (63.2 percent male) participating in 22 different sports, who began the RTP protocol in a median 6.4 days. Longer time to initiate the RTP protocol was seen among those with less frequent postinjury assessments, greater initial postinjury symptom severity, limited contact sport participation, practice\/training injuries, and three or more prior concussions. The median total RTP length was 12.8 days, which was shorter with attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder medication usage and greater assessment frequency and for male athletes. <\/sub>Longer recovery periods were seen for athletes with greater initial postinjury symptom severity, practice-\/training-related injuries, and three or more prior concussions.<\/p>\n “Although median recovery times are consistent with previous guidelines, it was not until one month postinjury that a preponderance of collegiate athletes were cleared to begin the RTP protocol (92 percent) or cleared for unrestricted sport participation (85 percent),” the authors write.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n