Youth Sports Concussion Recommendations Highlight Need for More Research

A panel of 11 experts has released a new statement on methods of preventing, assessing, and managing sports-related concussions (SRCs) in young athletes.

The panel was made up of experts in pediatrics, pediatric neurology, pediatric neurosurgery, pediatric neuropsychology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, sports and exercise medicine, athletic training, physical activity, and sports injury epidemiology and prevention.

Using a modified Delphi process, the researchers sought to answer a series of questions regarding SRCs in young athletes and create recommendations based upon an analysis of available evidence.

Among the recommendations:

• There is not a recommended age or developmental stage at which contact and collision are most safely introduced.
• In ice hockey, body checking should be delayed until age 13 years.
• History of concussion should be taken into consideration when evaluating if and when a player may return to play.
• Helmets should be worn in sports with high risk of head contact, including American tackle football, ice hockey, boys’ lacrosse, downhill skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, and bicycling.
• Retirement decisions should not be based solely on number of concussions.

“Unfortunately, for many of the questions addressed in this consensus statement, limitations existed in the quantity and quality of the evidence to develop specific recommendations for youth sports stakeholders,” the panel wrote.

“Because the evidence associated with these questions continues to evolve, it will be important that these conclusions and recommendations be periodically updated.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Rivara FP, Tennyson R, Mills B, et al. Consensus statement on sports-related concussions in youth sports using a modified delphi approach [published online November 11, 2019]. JAMA Pediatr. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.4006.