Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

High School Football Players Underreport Head Injuries: A Descriptive Comparative Study, Hillary Mn Oaks

Master of Science in Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Projects

Introduction: Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries (MTBIs) are some of the most common injuries that occur in the adolescent athlete population, and yet experts believe that MTBI’s are underreported. Most state athletic organizations require annual Pre-Participation Examinations in order to participate in high school sports. The purpose of this study was to research the effectiveness of the Ohio High School Athletic Association Pre-Participation Exam (OHSAA PPE) form in eliciting previous MTBIs.

Method: A descriptive, correlational study was conducted with 43 high school football players at a mass-screening event.

Results: There was a statistically significant underreporting of MTBI’s on …

Quantifying And Comparing The Head Impact Biomechanics Of Different Player Positions For Canadian University Football, Kody Campbell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Differences between Canadian and American football could affect the magnitudes of head impacts and risk of concussion to Canadian players. This study sought to quantify and compare the number, magnitude, and location of impacts that Canadian University football players of different positions experienced during games and practice in a season. A kinematic measuring device collected the linear accelerations and rotational velocities of the head from impacts experienced by players competing in practices and games. The impact magnitudes that were experienced in games were significantly larger than in practice. The offensive back position and wide receiver position had significantly larger peak …

Athletes' Knowledge And Attitudes Toward Concussions, Rebecca Williams, Christopher Cross

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Concussions are a serious injury with significant short and long-term consequences. With the increasing awareness of the dangers of concussions, research has been directed toward educating coaches, athletes, and clinicians about this condition. The purpose of this study was to evaluate DII football athletes’ knowledge and attitudes toward concussion, so we can determine what education is necessary to better inform them, in order to be able to conduct a more efficient evaluation. A total of 55 male football athletes from NCAA DII institutions agreed to take part in the survey on a voluntary basis. Subjects completed a survey assessing athletes’ …

Concussion Return To Play Protocols Effect On Athletes' Reporting Of Symptoms, Timothy S. Waller, Amanda R. Meade, Elizabeth A. Sled, Michael S. Weller

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

When an athlete suffers a concussion, the standard return to play (RTP) guidelines are that they must sit out a minimum of a week as they go through a slow progression of exertional and neurocognitive tests once they are asymptomatic. This is a great improvement to concussion treatment in the past where athletes were often dangerously returned. However, because of this “blanket” 7-day minimum return policy, we believe the current RTP guidelines are potentially leading athletes to hide their symptoms more so they do not have to sit out. Fifty-three athletes were surveyed from soccer, basketball, lacrosse, and football teams …

Head Impact Exposure In Male And Female Collegiate Ice Hockey Players, Bethany J. Wilcox, Jonathan G. Beckwith, Richard M. Greenwald, Jeffrey J. Chu, Thomas W. Mcallister, Laura A. Flashman, Arthur C. Maerlender, Ann-Christine Duhaime, Joseph J. Crisco

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to quantify head impact exposure (frequency, location and magnitude of head impacts) for individual male and female collegiate ice hockey players and to investigate differences in exposure by sex, player position, session type, and team. Ninety-nine (41 male, 58 female) players were enrolled and 37,411 impacts were recorded over three seasons. Frequency of impacts varied significantly by sex (males: 287 per season, females: 170, p < 0.001) and helmet impact location (p < 0.001) but not by player position (p = 0.088). Head impact frequency also varied by session type; both male and female players sustained more impacts in games than in practices (p < 0.001), however the magnitude of impacts did not differ between session types. There was no difference in 95th percentile peak linear acceleration between sexes (males: 41.6 g, females: 40.8 g), but 95th percentile peak rotational acceleration and HITsp (a composite severity measure) were greater for males than females (4424, 3409 rad/s2, and 25.6, 22.3, respectively). Impacts to the back of the helmet resulted in the greatest 95th percentile peak linear accelerations for males (45.2 g) and females (50.4 g), while impacts to the side and back of the head were associated with the greatest 95th percentile peak rotational accelerations (males: 4719, 4256 rad/sec², females: 3567, 3784 rad/sec², respectively). It has been proposed that reducing an individual’s head impact exposure is a practical approach for reducing the risk of …