However, Elbin says that their data shows that if athletes do continue to play after a head injury, they will eventually let their team down more in the long run by a protracted absence.
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Athletes who keep playing through pain may worsen their injury, and longer post-concussion recovery may lead to adverse short-term mental function in such athletes, suggested study authors.
A new study suggested that high school athletes who stop playing instantly after experiencing a concussion take almost half as long to recover as the ones who continue playing. The athletes, who played either football, hockey, soccer, basketball or volleyball, gave information on medical history, information on their injuries and when they were removed from playing after the concussion happened. Of these participants, 35 were immediately removed from play after manifesting concussion symptoms while 34 continued for about another 19 minutes before stopping. The study was published Monday, Aug. 29, 2016 in Pediatrics.
The athletes who continued playing also showcased more serious neurocognitive symptoms and more number of symptoms in comparison to the ones who were removed.
Elbin and colleagues reported their finding in in the journal Pediatrics.
Sidelined players reported symptoms immediately, including dizziness, headaches, mental fogginess and fatigue, and were diagnosed with concussions by trainers or team physicians.
Concussed athletes are specifically advised to stop playing so as to prevent second-impact syndrome, a rare condition that leads to possibly fatal bleeding or swelling in the brain when the head is hit again during recovery. It also acts as evidence supporting return-to-play policies across the United States that state that athletes suspected of concussions must sit out games until their symptoms resolve.
The study results show that a prolonged recovery is another important risk from returning to play too soon – one that “no one had really calculated” until now, said Dr. Allen Sills, a Vanderbilt University neurosurgeon.
Researchers acknowledged that the study sample size was small and involved just one clinic, but affirmed the study implications clearly highlight the importance of athletes’ physical and cognitive rest immediately after the concussion.
Every year, there are nearly 3.8 million sports-related concussions in the United States.
Elbin said the research proves athletes should be sitting out practices and games if they end up with a concussion. “Unfortunately 50 per cent of concussions go unreported”.
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“This was one of the first studies to tie-in a recovery outcome to staying in the game and playing with a concussion”, said lead author Robert J. Elbin of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
