Getting Back on the Horse: Sport-Specific Return to Play in Rodeo Athletes After Concussion Injury

Abstract

Rodeo athletes represent a sport population that has received little formal guidance on the diagnosis, management, and RTP after concussion. A sport-specific RTP protocol sensitive to the particular culture of these athletes is an important first step in protecting the health and safety of rodeo athletes after a concussive injury.

The Relationship of Anthropometric and Physical Performance Characteristics on Competitive Success in Amateur, Elite, and Professional Rodeo Athletes

“…Although rodeo athletes require many physical and psychological qualities to succeed (27), hip and hand strength appear valuable to maintain position (27), with neck strength potentially vital to vestibular balance and avoiding neck strains and concussions (44). Indeed, hip adductor strains are common injuries in riders (7,26,37,38).…”

“…In addition, several American universities include rodeo in their intercollegiate sports, often with scholarships on the line (28,35). However, sports science in rodeo has not developed by a sizeable magnitude because nearly all published studies have focused on injury rates and recovery protocols (7,26,37,38,44), with the lone performance study primarily reporting metabolic and reaction time characteristics (25). Thus, publicly available normative data are hard to come by, leaving rodeo athletes and strength and conditioning professionals to use anecdotal reports or data from their own, likely limited pool of athletes, to guide training.…”

A Proposed Return-to-Ride Protocol for United States Jockeys Following Concussion

“…In the United States, equestrian sports remain some of the only organized competitive activities that have not adopted national and comprehensive concussion management protocols or guidelines. While significant progress has been made to improve the management of concussions in horse racing and other equestrian sports, [18][19][20][21][22][23][24] a gap continues to exist on contextuallyappropriate return-to-sport protocols. 25 At this time, there is no consistent healthcare management or practices from track to track across the country.…”

“…Non-racing equestrian 24 and professional rodeo have established concussion return-to-ride guidelines, 23 but these do not consider the unique qualities of time pressures to resume racing, need for comprehensive medical oversight, and lack of training protocol for personnel on concussion management at all racing tracks. Therefore, the uniqueness of thoroughbred horse racing and the occupational demands placed upon race-riding jockeys warrant contextually appropriate protocols for concussion management in this sport that can be implemented regardless of resources or healthcare personnel available.…”

“…Therefore, the proposed return-toride progression protocol is based on other sport protocols but is specific to the needs and demands of race riding. The proposed protocol is similar to Wicklund et al 23 who created a protocol for the rodeo athlete, and Serrano and Wu's 24 management policy for Collegiate Hunter/Jumper Equestrian Athletes, is an adaptation of the widely accepted graduated return-to-sport strategy suggested by the Concussion in Sport Group, 26 . It must be acknowledged that while concussion management is being addressed in international racing jurisdictions the diversity of needs and practices within US horse racing sport necessitates the proposed protocol.…”