International Consensus Statement On Concussions In Sport

The most recent international consensus statement on concussion in sport- the Zurich Guidelines1 – and the 2014 National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Position Statement on the Management of Sport-related Concussion (SRC)2 define concussion as a brain injury from biomechanical forces producing a complex pathophysiological process that typically results in the rapid onset of short-lived impairment of neurological function that resolves spontaneously. Concussion is a functional disturbance rather than a structural brain injury, the resolution of which in the typical athlete (80–90% of cases) requires 7-10 days. Zurich states that persistent symptoms (>10 days) are reported in 10-15% of SRC.1 Thus, athletes symptomatic for more than 10 days are “atypical” with respect to expected time to recover.

The NATA says that adult males typically recover within 14 days whereas females and younger patients may require more time to recover.2 When athletes are considered to move from typical concussion recovery to PCS is not specifically defined but athletes with symptoms for more than 4 weeks are considered to be beyond the typical recovery period, particularly if they are older adolescent, collegiate or professional athletes.2,4,5 While it has been reported by some that children recover more slowly than adolescents,1 recent evidence suggests that adolescents take longer to recover than children or