A new study using data from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Injury Surveillance Program (ISP) provides some insight into the epidemiology of SRC outcomes in 25 collegiate sports.
A total of 1670 concussions were reported during the 2009-2010 and 2013-2014 academic years. Of these, an average of 5.29 concussion
The average number of symptoms and resolution time for concussion symptoms did not differ by sex. However, the types of symptoms experienced were different. A larger proportion of concussions in male athletes included amnesia and disorientation, while a larger proportion of concussions in female athletes included headache, excess drowsiness, and nausea/vomiting.
A total of 151 SRCs (9.0%) were reported as recurrent. The average number of symptoms reported with recurrent SRCs (5.99 ± 3.43) was greater than that of nonrecurrent SRCs (5.22 ± 2.88; P = .01). A greater proportion of recurrent SRCs also resulted in a long symptom resolution time (14.6% vs 5.4%, respectively; P < .001) and long return-to-play time (21.2% vs 7.7%, respectively; P < .001) compared with nonrecurrent SRCs.
Source: American Journal of Sports Medicine, published online November 6, 2015