After an educational intervention, athletes demonstrated an improvement in their knowledge on concussions.

Background:The perception high school athletes have regarding concussions may influence their injury-reporting behavior, and if their perceptions are based on incorrect or incomplete information, they may be at risk for subsequent head injuries.Purpose:To determine whether the recent influx of concussion information has had a positive impact on high school athletes’ knowledge of concussions, to determine their perceptions regarding the severity of a concussion injury, and to determine whether receiving correct information will potentially alter their future reporting behavior.Study Design:Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 4.Methods:A total of 454 high school athletes (212 females, 242 males; mean age, 15.7 ± 1.15 years) from 6 different schools participated in an anonymous survey. The researchers met with teams individually at their high schools to collect data and provide an educational intervention regarding sports-related concussions. The survey questions assessed the athletes’ personal injury histories and perceptions and knowledge of the severity of concussion injuries.Results:There was a difference in the number of athletes who reported having their “bell rung” (n = 297) versus the number of athletes reporting at least 1 concussion (n = 172) (t (453) = −11.60, P = .000, d = −0.54). There was also a difference in the number of athletes who reported a history of at least 1 concussion at the beginning of the study session (n = 172) versus the number of athletes who reported at least 1 concussion at the end of the session (n = 292) (t (453) = −12.018, P = .000, d = 0.732). Fifty percent of athletes also stated that the importance of a game/event should dictate when they return to play.Conclusion:High school athletes continue to fail to realize when they have sustained a concussion. Additionally, athletes lack understanding regarding the severity and seriousness of a concussion. A better effort at formalized education must be made if the culture of sports is to change.Clinical Relevance:Allied health care professionals need to continue to put forth a great effort in educating all student athletes on what a concussion is and the dangers of a concussion injury. Preseason meetings should be used as an opportunity to provide formalized education to all student athletes.

Background:An athlete’s lack of concussion knowledge could lead to significant underreporting and injury mismanagement. To provide more effective management strategies of concussions in adolescent athletes, further examination of reporting behaviors is of critical importance.Hypothesis:The hypotheses for this study were as follows: (1) Girls are more likely to report concussion, (2) girls are more likely to report future concussions after an educational intervention, and (3) a difference in rationale for not reporting concussion will be found between sexes.Study Design:Cross-sectional, cohort design.Level of Evidence:Level 3.Methods:Survey answers were collected on 454 high school athletes (212 girls, 242 boys; mean age, 15.7 ± 1.15 years). Individual team meetings lasting approximately 30 minutes were held to collect data and provide an educational lecture. Participants were randomly provided an iClicker to submit a response to questions asked.Results:Girls were more likely to report a concussion (χ2 = 8.32, df = 3, N = 454, P = 0.040) and more likely to report future concussions after educational intervention (χ2 = 8.54, df = 2, N = 454, P = 0.014). There were no differences between sexes regarding rationale for not reporting a concussion (χ2 = 6.42, df = 4, N = 454, P = 0.170).Conclusion:There is concern these athletes still fail to understand the severity and potential sequelae of concussion injury. Both sexes cited that concussion is not a serious enough injury to warrant reporting to a medical professional.Clinical Relevance:High school athletes recover more slowly from concussions compared with college athletes; therefore, educating this population and promoting the importance of being knowledgeable regarding concussion recognition may increase reporting prevalence.

No abstract

External load has become a common metric for coaches to track the activity profiles of athletes during training and competition.  The advent of wearable technology has made external load monitoring accessible for more coaches.  The purpose of this study was to compare positional (attack, midfield, and defense) and game (first half to second) external loads.  An NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse team was recruited to wear triaxal accelerometers and GPS units during five non-conference games during the 2020 regular season.  The external load metrics evaluated for this study included total distance, sprint distance (> 19 km∙hr-1), number of power plays (> 3 m·s-2), top speed, and PlayerLoad.  Significance was set at p < 0.05.  No significant differences among positions were observed for full game measures (p > 0.05).  A significant main effect for time was observed for sprint distance (midfield; p < 0.001 ) and power plays (midfield; p < 0.001 and defense; p = 0.004).  While no significant differences occurred for activity profiles among positions, high-intensity efforts (sprint distance and power plays) were significantly less in the second half, likely due to fatigue.  Coaches and sports scientists can use this information to manage in-game fatigue through tactics such as strategic substitutions and time-outs, thus preserving the intensity of the activity profiles late in the game.