New research from a Carle Illinois College of Medicine team reveals certain high school athletes may be more likely to sustain a concussion while playing school-sponsored sports than others. The study equips school districts, parents, and athletes with evidence to make safer play decisions based on how concussions occur and how symptoms differ across genders, sports, and demographic groups.
Photo by Fred Zwicky.
The newly published research, led by CI MED student Annabelle Shaffer, taps into a database of more than 4,000 athletes from 19 high schools across central Illinois. The research team tracked the mechanism of injury, setting, and symptoms across multiple sports for both male and female athletes. Their analysis includes assessment data from before and following a concussion injury.
“Our data suggests that athletes with prior head injuries, prior hospitalization for a head injury, history of headache/migraine disorders, and history of learning disabilities/dyslexia in addition to those attending smaller schools (<500 students) may have an increased risk of sports-related concussion,” Shaffer said. Sustaining more than one concussion in childhood has been associated with increased risk for long-term health problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other key findings in the study include:
- Setting and Sport: Most sports-related concussions (SRCs) occurred in competition rather than in practice sessions while playing American football (52.3%), soccer (20.4%), and basketball (7.6%). 24.2% of SRCs occurred in female athletes. Among female athletes, the highest number of concussions occurred in soccer, followed by cheerleading/dance.
- Injury Cause: For males, concussions most frequently result from a tackle/collision. Among females, most concussions resulted from a blow to the head. CI MED student Helen Kemprecos is leading the team’s efforts to analyze data on differences in concussion injuries after contact with another player/person versus contact with the playing surface or another obstacle.
- Symptoms: For all athletes, the most common symptoms following a concussion included headaches, “pressure in the head,” not “feeling right,” difficulty concentrating, and dizziness. The team found that female athletes exhibited more severe symptoms of emotionality and anxiety compared to males following a concussion.
“Understanding sports-related concussion risk factors and characteristics in high school athletes is critical for developing prevention and management programs, guiding neurosurgeons in mitigating sports-related concussion risk, and informing return-to-play decisions,” Shaffer said.
“Athletes who are playing sports that are at higher risk for concussion should be aware of the signs and symptoms of a concussion. Additionally, it is important to remember that concussions happen off the field, too, making it important to encourage safe driving practices and helmet use among teens,” Shaffer said, noting that this study includes concussion data related only to school-sponsored sports.
“Altogether, we hope these results can inform concussion safety programs in youth athletics and enhance the safety of sports.”
Editor’s note: The study, “Injury Characteristics and Risk Factors of Sport-Related Concussion Among High School Athletes in School-Sponsored Sports,” was published in the journal Neurosurgery. The abstract is available here: DOI: 10.1227/neu.0000000000003250. Shaffer’s senior co-authors include Dr. Paul Arnold, Department of Neurosurgery, Loyola University Medical Center; Tracey Wszalek, PhD, and Aaron Anderson, PhD, both of the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; and Dr. Jared Zimmerman of the Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at Carle Health.
The CDC’s Heads Up campaign offers more information and resources about mitigating the risk of sports-related concussions in young athletes.
This research was part of Annabelle Shaffer's Data Science project in partnership with fellow CI MED student Zelda Moran. Data Science projects are conducted in the final year of medical school as part of CI MED's innovative curriculum.