The medal's backside
Athletes remain at high risk of injuries when returning to sports after a concussion.
The health benefits of exercise exceeds the risk of injury, therefore one can propose that sport is medicine. Although if the sports injury is a fact, it could mean both physical, mental and social problems for the individual but also economical burdens for society. For these reasons, prevention plays a very important role in sport!
Sports-related concussions are common in contact sports. Despite this, there is currently limited knowledge about both the short and long term effects of concussions, as well as when a player can return to playing without the risk of new injuries. Since 2001, 27 different football teams from 10 professional leagues in Europe participated in the so-called "UEFA Elite Club Injury Study" In this study we demonstrated that during an 11-year period, Concussions befell 66 players and 1599 players suffered other types of damage. Players with concussion were given on average 10 days of recovery before returning to play. The risk of new injuries as a result of the concussion was analyzed in three different time intervals; 0-3 months, 3-6 months and 6-12 months after the concussion. A concussion led to a progressively increased risk during the year, and peaked between 6-12 months after the concussion with four times increased risk of new damage. This suggests that the guidelines for management of concussions in football needs review and the feasibility of introducing pre-season tests in order to evaluate the neurological and cognitive impairments should be considered in order to better assess when the player can return to match play without increased subsequent risk of injury.
In cooperation with UEFA and team medical doctors in the Champions League, we will now proceed with a new study to test the cognitive pre-season testing to facilitate a possible assessment later in the season if a injury occurs. Below you can see some of the teams participating in the study.
