Chermann JF, Klouche S, Savigny A, Lefevre N, Herman S, Bohu Y. Asian J. Sports Med. 2014; 5(4): e24042.
Affiliation
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Musculoskeletal Institute of Nollet, Paris, France ; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Paris Sports Clinic, Paris, France ; Medical Staff, Racing-Metro 92, Le Plessis-Robinson, France.
BACKGROUND: Although guidelines based on expert opinions have been developed for the immediate management and return to play of athletes after a concussion, data are lacking on this issue.
OBJECTIVES: Evaluate a standardized management of brain concussion among rugby players to prevent the recurrence.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective study was performed from September 2009 to June 2012. All rugby players who had a concussion when playing rugby were included. Patients were managed by a specialized hospital team with a specific protocol developed in collaboration with the medical staff of the rugby clubs included in the study. The series included 35 rugby players, with 23 professionals and 12 high-level players, 30 men and 5 women, mean age 23.1 ± 5.5 years old. The median number of previous concussions was 2 (0-30) episodes. According to the Cantu concussion severity classification, 3 athletes were grade 1, 12 were grade 2 and 20 were grade 3. None of the injured athletes was lost to follow-up. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of a new concussion within 3 months after the first in patients who returned to rugby.
RESULTS: Thirty-three patients returned to rugby after a mean 22.1 ± 10 days. The recurrence rate within 3 months was 2/33 (6.1%). The median delay before returning to rugby was 21 (7-45) days. Factors associated with a delayed return to play were young age, initial loss of consciousness, severity Cantu grade 3 and post-concussive syndrome of more than 5 days. Analysis of two failures showed that the initial injury was grade 3 and that both were professional athletes and had a history of concussion.
CONCLUSIONS: This prospective study validated the study protocol for the management of concussion in rugby players.