@article{ref1,
title="Concussion-like symptoms in child and youth athletes at baseline: what is "typical"?",
journal="Journal of athletic training",
year="2016",
author="Hunt, Anne Williams and Paniccia, Melissa and Reed, Nick and Keightley, Michelle",
volume="51",
number="10",
pages="749-757",
abstract="CONTEXT:  After a concussion, guidelines emphasize that an athlete should be asymptomatic before starting a return-to-play protocol. However, many concussion symptoms are nonspecific and may be present in individuals without concussion. Limited evidence exists regarding the presence of &quot;typical&quot; or preinjury (baseline) symptoms in child and youth athletes. <br><br>OBJECTIVE:  To describe the frequency of symptoms reported at baseline by child and youth athletes and identify how age, sex, history of concussion, and learning factors influence the presence of baseline symptoms. <br><br>DESIGN:  Cross-sectional cohort study. SETTING:  Baseline testing was conducted at a hospital research laboratory or in a sport or school setting (eg, gym or arena). PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS:  A total of 888 child (9-12 years old, n = 333) and youth (13-17 years old, n = 555) athletes participated (46.4% boys and 53.6% girls, average age = 13.09 ± 1.83 years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S):  Demographic and symptom data were collected as part of a baseline protocol. Age-appropriate versions of the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory (a self-report concussion-symptoms measure with strong psychometric properties for pediatric populations) were administered. Demographic data (age, sex, concussion history, learning factors) were also collected. <br><br>RESULTS:  Common baseline symptoms for children were feeling sleepier than usual (30% boys, 24% girls) and feeling nervous or worried (17% boys, 25% girls). Fatigue was reported by more than half of the youth group (50% boys, 67% girls). Nervousness was reported by 32% of youth girls. Headaches, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating were each reported by 25% of youth boys and girls. For youths, a higher total symptom score was associated with increasing age and number of previous concussions, although these effects were small (age rs = 0.143, number of concussions rs =.084). No significant relationships were found in the child group. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS:  Children and youths commonly experienced symptoms at baseline, including fatigue and nervousness. Whether clinicians should expect complete symptom resolution after concussion is not clear.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1062-6050",
doi="10.4085/1062-6050-51.11.12",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-51.11.12"
}