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Concussion incidence and recovery in Swedish elite soccer — Prolonged recovery in female players
Author(s) -
Vedung Fredrik,
Hänni Sofie,
Tegner Yelverton,
Johansson Jakob,
Marklund Niklas
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/sms.13644
Subject(s) - concussion , medicine , incidence (geometry) , physical therapy , injury prevention , poison control , prospective cohort study , emergency medicine , surgery , physics , optics
Objectives Sport‐related concussions are an increasingly recognized health problem. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world although recent studies on concussion incidence are scarce. Here, a nationwide prospective study on concussion incidence, symptom severity, risk factors, gender differences, and return‐to‐play after concussion was performed in 51 Swedish elite soccer teams during the 2017 season. Methods In the 1st and 2nd soccer leagues for men and women, a Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT)‐based questionnaire study was performed at preseason (baseline) and from 48 hours to 3 months post‐concussion. Results We followed 959 players (389 women, 570 men) for 25 146 player game hours (9867 hours for women, 15 279 hours for men). Concussion incidence (n = 36 concussions during the season) was 1.19/1000 player game hours (females 1.22/1000 hours, males 1.18/1000 hours; P = .85). Twenty‐seven percent of all players (8% of females, 40% of males) continued to play immediately after the concussion. When compared to male players, female players had worse initial symptom severity scores (median and IQR 30 (17‐50.5) vs 11 (4‐26.25), P = .02) on SCAT and longer return‐to‐play ( P = .02). Risk factors for concussion were baseline symptoms and previous concussion. Conclusion In Swedish elite soccer, the concussion incidence was 1.19/1000 without gender differences. Most players recovered to play within 4 weeks post‐injury. Almost one third of players continued to play at time of concussion. Female players had worse initial symptoms and longer return‐to‐play time than males, and a prolonged recovery beyond 3 months was only observed among female players.