Recommendations Updated for Management of Concussion in Sport

TUESDAY, June 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- In a consensus statement issued by the Concussion in Sport Group and published online June 14 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, updated recommendations are presented for the management of concussion in sport.

Jon S. Patricios, M.B.B.Ch., from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and colleagues summarized the processes and outcomes of the sixth International Conference on Concussion in Sport, held in Amsterdam from Oct. 27 to 30, 2022.

The authors noted that concussion-prevention interventions included policy or rule changes to reduce collisions, neuromuscular training in warm-ups, mouthguard use in ice hockey, and implementation of optimal concussion management strategies. Updated iterations of acute sport-related concussion tools best used in the first 72 hours after injury were provided, and new office tools were designed to better guide evaluation and management in an office setting from 72 hours after injury and in the following weeks. To inform management or diagnostic decisions, the results of computerized neurocognitive tests should be interpreted in the context of broader clinical findings and not used in isolation. Based on evolving evidence, return-to-learn and return-to-sport strategies were also updated. Physical activity and aerobic exercise were considered beneficial as early interventions based on strong evidence.

"We encourage clinicians and sports organizations around the globe to adapt these recommendations to their own geographic and cultural environments to optimize the care of athletes who have sustained, or who are at risk of, concussion," a coauthor said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed ties to industry.

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