Concussion diagnosis and recovery in relation to collegiate athletic department classification: a LIMBIC MATARS consortium investigation.
Brain Inj 2024:1-11. [PMID:
38334036 DOI:
10.1080/02699052.2024.2310800]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE
We investigated time to reach concussion diagnosis and recovery milestones in collegiate athletes relative to their schools' National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) classification.
METHODS
We retrospectively examined 849 (43.1% female) concussion cases from 11 NCAA institutions (Division I Power 5 [n = 4], Division I Non-Power 5 [n = 4], and Division II/III [n = 3]) from the 2015-16 to 2019-20 athletic seasons. Our primary outcome measures were days to reach specific clinical milestones following concussion.
RESULTS
Median (IQR) time from injury to diagnosis was significantly longer at Division II/III institutions (1 [0-4] days) compared to Division I Power 5 (0 [0-1] days) and Division I Non-Power 5 (0 [0-1] days) institutions (p < 0.001). Likewise, Division II/III athletes (15 [11-22] days) took significantly longer to return to sport after concussion than Division I Power 5 (10 [7-16] days) and Division I Non-Power 5 (11 [7-18.5] days) athletes (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
Division II/III athletes had delayed concussion diagnoses and return to sport timelines compared to Division I athletes. Our results suggest that differences in sports medicine resources across NCAA divisions may influence injury recognition and recovery in collegiate athletes with concussion.
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