Concussions and head injuries may never be completely eliminated from sports. However, with better data comes an improved understanding of the types of actions and activities that typically result in concussions. With this knowledge can come improved techniques and rule changes to minimize the rate and severity of concussions in sports. This article identifies the factors that affect concussion...

Assessment of concussion can be challenging for medical practitioners given the different factors associated with each individual injury. The use of neuropsychological testing provides an objective method in the evaluation and management of concussion. Over the last 20 years it has become increasingly useful in the realm of sports concussion and has been deemed a cornerstone of concussion manag...

THE ISSUE OF DETERMINING THE readiness of athletes to return to action following a head injury has received recognition as a major public health issue. Concern over the health of the athlete with a concussion has prompted the development of parameters to guide management and returnto-play issues. These guidelines, however, have been controversial within the sports medicine community. The contro...

BACKGROUND Sideline detection is the first and most significant step in recognising a potential concussion and removing an athlete from harm. This systematic review aims to evaluate the critical elements aiding sideline recognition of potential concussions including screening tools, technologies and integrated assessment protocols. DATA SOURCES Bibliographic databases, grey literature reposit...

OBJECTIVE To examine the ethical and legal issues physicians face when evaluating and managing athletes with sports-related concussions, and to offer guidance to physicians as they navigate these situations. RESULTS This position paper reviews and compares the components of sports-related concussion laws, including education, removal from play, and clearance for return to play. It highlights ...

The current study endeavored to replicate the approach to sports-related concussion management adopted by some community-based sporting organizations by examining the diagnostic efficiency of CogSport and ImPACT in athletes without baseline test data and assessed only once postinjury. Recently concussed nonelite-level rugby union players (N = 51) were tested within 72 hours of sustaining a conc...

OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that children with a previous history of concussion have a longer duration of symptoms after a repeat concussion than those without such a history. METHODS Prospective cohort study of consecutive patients 11 to 22 years old presenting to the emergency department of a children's hospital with an acute concussion. The main outcome measure was time to symptom res...