sports-related Traumatic brain injury
Annually, there are over a million sports-related TBIs among pediatric patients in the US. Additionally, concussions account for nearly 9% of all high-school related athletic injuries. Symptoms include sleep problems, motor impairment, as well as cognitive and behavioral changes. Among the cognitive changes, specifically in school, children can have problems with reading comprehension, remembering instructions, difficulty concentrating and problems completing mental math problems.
This is a scoping review of 95 articles totaling over 21,000 patients sustaining a sports-related TBI with a median age of 16. This review focused on research into memory impairment post-injury- how common is it and what can be done about it. 84 of the studies were able to compare whether there was a change in memory with a control group or pre/post analysis. The majority (over 70%) found decreased memory scores in the injured patients, while a quarter found no change. Only 3 studies looked at interventions to improve memory after a sports-related TBI. Two interventions (oral amantadine and a Tele-SMART program) showed improved memory scores.
Bottom line: This study highlights the disparity in the more common problems associated with sports related TBI and the research into interventions that might help kids more quickly return to their baseline functional status, especially in regards to memory. Clinically, for me this study reiterates the importance of warning parents and patients about the multitude of symptoms and importance of simple home-based interventions (hydration, sleep, reducing screen time) that MAY be beneficial.
This is a scoping review of 95 articles totaling over 21,000 patients sustaining a sports-related TBI with a median age of 16. This review focused on research into memory impairment post-injury- how common is it and what can be done about it. 84 of the studies were able to compare whether there was a change in memory with a control group or pre/post analysis. The majority (over 70%) found decreased memory scores in the injured patients, while a quarter found no change. Only 3 studies looked at interventions to improve memory after a sports-related TBI. Two interventions (oral amantadine and a Tele-SMART program) showed improved memory scores.
Bottom line: This study highlights the disparity in the more common problems associated with sports related TBI and the research into interventions that might help kids more quickly return to their baseline functional status, especially in regards to memory. Clinically, for me this study reiterates the importance of warning parents and patients about the multitude of symptoms and importance of simple home-based interventions (hydration, sleep, reducing screen time) that MAY be beneficial.
