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Concussion May Increase the Risk of Subsequent Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Injury in Collegiate Athletes

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Abstract

Background

Laboratory-based studies on neuromuscular control after concussion and epidemiological studies suggest that concussion may increase the risk of subsequent musculoskeletal injury.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to determine if athletes have an increased risk of lower extremity musculoskeletal injury after return to play from a concussion.

Methods

Injury data were collected from 2006 to 2013 for men’s football and for women’s basketball, soccer and lacrosse at a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I university. Ninety cases of in-season concussion in 73 athletes (52 male, 21 female) with return to play at least 30 days prior to the end of the season were identified. A period of up to 90 days of in-season competition following return to play was reviewed for time-loss injury. The same period was studied in up to two control athletes who had no concussion within the prior year and were matched for sport, starting status and position.

Results

Lower extremity musculoskeletal injuries occurred at a higher rate in the concussed athletes (45/90 or 50 %) than in the non-concussed athletes (30/148 or 20 %; P < 0.01). The odds of sustaining a musculoskeletal injury were 3.39 times higher in the concussed athletes (95 % confidence interval 1.90–6.05; P < 0.01). Overall, the number of days lost because of injury was similar between concussed and non-concussed athletes (median 9 versus 15; P = 0.41).

Conclusions

The results of this study demonstrate a relationship between concussion and an increased risk of lower extremity musculoskeletal injury after return to play, and may have implications for current medical practice standards regarding evaluation and management of concussion injuries.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported in part by National Institutes of Health Grant #5K12HD001097-17.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Florida, PO Box 112727, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Daniel C. Herman, Michael Moser & Kevin Farmer

  2. University of Florida Athletic Association, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Michael Moser, Kevin Farmer & James R. Clugston

  3. UF Health Rehab Center, Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Institute, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Debi Jones & Susan Tillman

  4. ProFormPT, Maitland, FL, USA

    Ashley Harrison

  5. University of Texas Athletics, Austin, TX, USA

    Anthony Pass

  6. Department of Community Health and Family Medicine, Student Health Care Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    James R. Clugston

  7. College of Veterinary Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Jorge Hernandez

  8. TRIA Orthopedic Center, Bloomington, MN, USA

    Terese L. Chmielewski

  9. Department of Physical Therapy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Terese L. Chmielewski

Authors
  1. Daniel C. Herman
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  2. Debi Jones
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  3. Ashley Harrison
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  4. Michael Moser
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  5. Susan Tillman
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  6. Kevin Farmer
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  7. Anthony Pass
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  8. James R. Clugston
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  9. Jorge Hernandez
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  10. Terese L. Chmielewski
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel C. Herman.

Ethics declarations

Ethical approval

This study was approved by the University of Florida Institutional Review Board. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Conflict of interest

Daniel Herman, Debi Jones, Ashley Harrison, Michael Moser, Susan Tillman, Kevin Farmer, Anthony Pass, Jay Clugston, Jorge Hernandez and Terese Chmielewski declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Herman, D. ., Jones, D., Harrison, A. et al. Concussion May Increase the Risk of Subsequent Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Injury in Collegiate Athletes. Sports Med 47, 1003–1010 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0607-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0607-9

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