|
Abstract
|
OBJECTIVE To describe the characteristics of patients who presented to outpatient sport and exercise medicine clinics with concussion.
Design Retrospective chart review of electronic medical records.
Setting Three specialized sport and exercise medicine clinics in London, Ont.
Participants A total of 283 patients presenting with concussion.
Main outcome measures Data collected included demographic variables (age and sex), sport participation at the time of injury, previous medical history (including history of concussion), Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS) scores, and return-to-play (RTP) variables (delay and outcome).
Results The mean age of patients presenting for care was 17.6 years; 70.9% of patients were younger than 18 years of age (considered pediatric patients); 58.8% of patients were male; and 31.7% of patients had a previous history of concussion. The main sports associated with injury were hockey (40.0%), soccer (12.6%), and football (11.7%). Return to play was granted to 50.9% of patients before the 3-week mark and 80.2% of patients before 8 weeks. Total PCSS scores (maximum score was 132) and neck scores (part of the PCSS, maximum score was 6) were significantly higher in adults compared with pediatric patients (36.2 vs 27.6, P =.02, and 1.8 vs 1.2, P =.02, respectively). A significant difference was seen in RTP, with pediatric patients returning earlier than adults did (P =.04). This difference was not seen when comparing males with females (P =.07). Longer duration of follow-up did not influence RTP outcomes. Previous history of concussion was associated with restriction from contact or collision sports (P <.001).
Conclusion Given the age and sex variability found in this study, as well as in previous published reports, it is important to manage each patient individually using current best available practice strategies to optimize long-term outcomes.
Language: en |