The Clinical Management of Sports Concussion

Abstract

Concussion is among the hottest topics in sports medicine today. It is a highly individualized injury which oftentimes has a subtle presentation that is easily misdiagnosed, and therefore mishandled. When to return a concussed athlete to participation is a highly controversial topic that, to this point, has been primarily based on any one of 17 sets of guidelines. Neuropsychologic and cognitive testing has introduced a quantitative and sensitive measure that allows the clinician to verify an athlete's return to normal functioning levels. It is based on the firm belief that every concussion is a unique event, and must be handled as such. The realization that there is no one formula that can handle an injury this complex and multifaceted is perhaps the greatest breakthrough in mild traumatic brain injury research in the past decade.