Prevalence & Influence of Neck Pain After Sport-Related Concussion in Collegiate Athletes
Dec
Can you sustain a sport-related concussion without also sustaining a cervical spine injury? It is an interesting question, which underscores the growing evidence that addressing neck function can help concussion patients recover, and avoid long term symptomatology…
In the past decade, there has been increased attention toward the possibility of comorbid cervical spine injury (whiplash, muscle strain etc.) and their potential effect on recovery from a concussion. Not surprisingly, the prevalence of neck pain after SRC has been estimated to range between 34-54% of the pediatric population. Further, it has also been shown that patients who report neck pain after sport-related concussion have increased risk of developing persistent post-concussion symptoms.
Recent studies have suggested that treatment of the cervical spine following concussion may lead to improved outcomes, including a reduction in persistent post-concussion symptoms and a decrease in time to return to play. As such, the objectives of this study were to:
- estimate the frequency of new/worsened neck pain after a concussion in comparison with baseline in a population of collegiate athletes;
- identify both baseline and injury variables that influence whether an athlete will develop new/worsened neck pain after a concussion; and
- understand how the presence of new/worsened NP affects the length of recovery after a concussion.
This week’s Research Review: “Prevalence & Influence of Neck Pain After Sport-Related Concussion in Collegiate Athletes”
This paper was published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine (2024)
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