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Almost half of people who suffer a sports-related traumatic brain injury still have physical symptoms six months later, a new study from the University of Stirling has found.
The study, “Contrasting Characteristics and Outcomes of Sports-Related and Non-Sports-Related Traumatic Brain Injury,” was published in JAMA Network Open.
The researchers also found that certain sports were more commonly associated with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) – horse riding (22% of all sports-related cases studied), skiing (17%) and soccer (13%).
Researcher Mikhail Ntikas from the university's Faculty of Science analyzed data from 4,360 patients from 18 European countries who were hospitalized with traumatic brain injuries and underwent brain scans.
The study compared 256 people with sports-related concussions (5.9% of the cohort studied) with 4,104 people who sustained a concussion through other means.
Patients were examined in hospital immediately after their injury and then followed up at three and six months.
PhD Researcher Mikhail Ntikas said: “We found that people with brain injuries from sports who go to hospital still have persistent problems six months later.”
“Even those with a mild traumatic brain injury and a normal brain scan, sometimes called a concussion, still have problems with daily life six months later, showing that recovery is worse than expected.”
Incomplete recovery
The team used standard scales that show when someone has incomplete recovery, persistent disability and persistent symptoms after a concussion.
At six months, 46% of all patients with a sports-related brain injury had incomplete recovery, 39% of patients with a mild sports-related brain injury, and 31% of people with a mild sports-related brain injury and a normal brain scan.
Dr. Magdalena Ietswaart, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Stirling and co-author of the paper, said: “These results caution against being overly optimistic about outcomes after a sports-related traumatic brain injury, even if the initial injury appears mild.”
“Sports-related concussions are generally considered fairly benign and are not a major concern because the injury is considered mild.”
“This research shows that we should take sports-related concussions seriously, particularly those cases that require hospitalization and subsequent referral for brain evaluation.”
Different results
There have been many previous studies examining concussions in sports, but little is known about individuals hospitalized with traumatic brain injuries related to sports activities.
Professor Lindsay Wilson, from the Department of Psychology at the University of Stirling, lead author of the study, said: “It is usually assumed that people with sports-related traumatic brain injury will have good outcomes, particularly if they have an injury that is considered mild “These patients have never been compared to those with non-sports-related traumatic brain injury on a range of different outcomes.”
More information:
Michail Ntikas et al., Contrasting Characteristics and Outcomes of Sports-Related and Non-Sports-Related Traumatic Brain Injury, JAMA Network Open (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.53318
Magazine information:
JAMA network opened
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