Concussion in sports traumatology: Future trends
Evaluation and management of sports-related concussive injuries has received tremendous attention by the media as well as the medical and scientific community in the past decade. The assessment of sports-related concussions, however, remains challenging for physicians given the highly variable duration of symptoms associated with each individual injury. About 80-90 % of athletes achieve a complete recovery within 1-3 weeks after the initial impact, leaving 10-20 % of athletes remaining symptomatic for months or even longer in some cases. This chapter will review the epidemiology, sideline evaluation, and management of sports-related concussions and discuss recent recommendations for the management of concussions, including the neurocognitive testing, and the subsequent steps recommended for returning an athlete to play.
