Concussion diagnosis and recovery in relation to collegiate athletic department classification: a LIMBIC MATARS consortium investigation

• Published in: Brain injury p. 1
• Main Authors: Munce, Thayne A, Peplowski, Allison D, Bowman, Thomas G, Kelshaw, Patricia M, Campbell, Thomas R, Ahonen, Sean B, Valentine, Verle D, Cifu, David X, Resch, Jacob E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 09.02.2024
• Subjects: concussion management; sports medicine; Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI); athletic training; collegiate athlete
• ISSN: 1362-301X
• DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2024.2310800

We investigated time to reach concussion diagnosis and recovery milestones in collegiate athletes relative to their schools' National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) classification. We retrospectively examined 849 (43.1% female) concussion cases from 11 NCAA institutions (Division I Power 5 [  = 4], Division I Non-Power 5 [  = 4], and Division II/III [  = 3]) from the 2015-16 to 2019-20 athletic seasons. Our primary outcome measures were days to reach specific clinical milestones following concussion. Median (IQR) time from injury to diagnosis was significantly longer at Division II/III institutions (1 [0-4] days) compared to Division I Power 5 (0 [0-1] days) and Division I Non-Power 5 (0 [0-1] days) institutions (  < 0.001). Likewise, Division II/III athletes (15 [11-22] days) took significantly longer to return to sport after concussion than Division I Power 5 (10 [7-16] days) and Division I Non-Power 5 (11 [7-18.5] days) athletes (  < 0.001). Division II/III athletes had delayed concussion diagnoses and return to sport timelines compared to Division I athletes. Our results suggest that differences in sports medicine resources across NCAA divisions may influence injury recognition and recovery in collegiate athletes with concussion.