Open AccessHigh School Athletes’ Health-Related Quality of Life Across Recovery After Sport-Related Concussion or Acute Ankle Injury: A Report From the Athletic Training Practice-Based Research Network
Author(s) -
Justin S. DiSanti,
Ashley N. Marshall,
Alison R. Snyder Valier,
Tamara C. Valovich McLeod
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
orthopaedic journal of sports medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.329
H-Index - 35
ISSN - 2325-9671
DOI - 10.1177/23259671211068034
Subject(s) - medicine , concussion , athletes , physical therapy , quality of life (healthcare) , ankle injury , injury prevention , ankle , musculoskeletal injury , occupational safety and health , physical medicine and rehabilitation , poison control , alternative medicine , surgery , medical emergency , nursing , pathology
Background: Evaluating adolescent athletes’ perceived health status after a sport-related injury can provide important direction for health promotion strategies and preparation for a successful return to play. Furthermore, comparing specific injury types regarding their impact on athletes' perspectives of their global and domain-specific health perceptions allows for a more detailed understanding of an athlete's experience while also providing avenues for targeted treatment strategies.Purpose: To compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) between high school athletes who had sustained either a concussion or an acute ankle injury and compare how these injury types related to their global and domain-specific HRQOL across recovery.Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods: Electronic medical records created by athletic trainers working in 32 high school facilities were examined, and records from 1749 patients who sustained either a sport-related concussion (n = 862) or ankle sprain (n = 887) were screened for inclusion. HRQOL was assessed by self-reported scores on the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) at 2 time points after injury (T 1 = 0-2 days; T 2 = 11-29 days). A 2-way group by time analysis of variance was conducted to examine differences in trajectories and disrupted areas of HRQOL.Results: Overall, 85 patient cases (46 concussion, 39 ankle sprain) fit the inclusion criteria. Each injury group exhibited improved global and domain-specific PedsQL scores between their 2 measured time points ( P < .05), indicating recovery. However, domain-specific comparisons revealed that at T 2 , patients who had sustained an ankle sprain reported significantly lower PedsQL physical functioning scores (78.3 ± 19.3 vs 86.2 ± 15.7 for concussion; P = .005), whereas patients who had sustained a concussion reported lower scores related to their school functioning (80.0 ± 20.0 vs 90.8 ± 12.7 for ankle sprain; P = .006).Conclusion: The study results indicated that in high school athletes, the trajectories and disrupted areas of HRQOL stemming from a sport-related injury may be influenced differentially when comparing concussions with ankle sprains.