Am Fam Physician. 2024;110(4):435-436
Author disclosure: No relevant financial relationships.
KEY POINTS FOR PRACTICE
• Relative rest, with reduced screen time and limited activities of daily living, is recommended immediately and for the 2 days following a concussion. Light physical activity is suggested in the first 24 to 48 hours if symptoms are not significantly exacerbated with the activity.
• Progressive return to activity is recommended if symptom exacerbation is only mild and brief, not worsening by more than 2 points on a 10-point scale.
• Referral to a sports-related concussion specialist should be considered for patients who experience severe symptoms or symptoms that persist longer than 4 weeks.
From the AFP Editors
A sports-related concussion is an impact to the head, neck, or body during sport or exercise that results in a temporary loss of normal brain function but does not demonstrate any abnormality on neuroimaging. The Concussion in Sport Group created the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport consensus statement to provide updated recommendations on concussion care for athletes at any level of sport.
REDUCING RISK
In several sports, specific policies have reduced concussion risk. In American football, policies decreasing the frequency, duration, and intensity of contact and collisions in practice reduced concussions by 64%. In youth ice hockey, prohibiting bodychecking decreased concussion by 58% and requiring mouthguards reduced concussions by 28%. Participating in an on-field neuromuscular training warm-up program three times a week in rugby is associated with lower concussion rates.
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