Utilisation of New Zealand Rugby's concussion management pathway: A mixed methods investigation.

Concerns around concussion highlight the need for strategies to improve the implementation and translation of concussion guidelines in community sports. This study assessed players' utilisation and compliance with New Zealand Rugby's Concussion Management Pathway (CMP). This pragmatic, mixed methods study comprised of concussion injury surveillance and mapping of players' healthcare touchpoints through the CMP.

Single Leg Hop Performance After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Ready for Landing but Cleared for Take-Off?

Context: Understanding former professional football players engagement with health promoting behaviors (physical exercise, high quality diet, and good sleep hygiene) will be helpful for developing lifestyle interventions to improve their feelings of well-being, a relatively understudied facet of health among this population.

Objective: Examine associations among health-promoting behaviors and subjective outcomes related to well-being among former National Football League (NFL) players.

Design: Cross-sectional.

An initial assessment of an opinion leader-informed intervention to improve concussion-related outcomes among middle school parents: a randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: There is a need for evidence-based prevention programming that can reduce head impacts and increase reporting and disclosure of concussion. This study assessed an intervention to decrease concussion risk and improve concussion management through improving concussion-related knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and self-efficacy among parents in the middle school (MS) sport setting.

Patients And Methods: This randomized controlled trial (NCT04841473) examined parents of MS-aged children.

Optimizing Concussion Care Seeking: Using Machine Learning to Predict Delayed Concussion Reporting.

Background: Early medical attention after concussion may minimize symptom duration and burden; however, many concussions are undiagnosed or have a delay in diagnosis after injury. Many concussion symptoms (eg, headache, dizziness) are not visible, meaning that early identification is often contingent on individuals reporting their injury to medical staff. A fundamental understanding of the types and levels of factors that explain when concussions are reported can help identify promising directions for intervention.

Longitudinal Characterization of Pain Interference and Influential Factors in Former National Football League (NFL) Players Over a 19-Year Period: An NFL-LONG Study.

Previous studies on pain experiences in retired contract sport athletes have been cross-sectional, leaving gaps in our understanding of the evolution of pain interference (PI) and factors that influence trajectories decades after sport discontinuation. This study investigated the longitudinal course of PI in former male National Football League (NFL) players over a 19-year period following sport discontinuation and examined factors influencing overall levels and trajectories of PI. Former NFL players completed health surveys in 2001, 2010, and 2019, with PI ratings measured using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (2001 and 2010) and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (2019).

Modeling Risk for Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Injury in U.S. Military Academy Cadet Basic Training.

Introduction: Sport and tactical populations are often impacted by musculoskeletal injury. Many publications have highlighted that risk is correlated with multiple variables. There do not appear to be existing studies that have evaluated a predetermined combination of risk factors that provide a pragmatic model for application in tactical and/or sports settings.

The initial visibility of updated recommendations on preseason heat safety in high school athletics among United States athletic trainers.

Updated recommendations on preseason heat safety in high school (HS) athletics ("2021 Consensus Statements") were published in April 2021. This cross-sectional survey study explored the initial roll-out of the 2021 Consensus Statements, including their visibility among United States HS athletic trainers (ATs) and perceived levels of confidence in implementing them. Recruitment occurred first, from a random selection of ATs from the Board of Certification, Inc.

Applying the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Framework to Social Determinants of Health in the Context of Sport-Related Concussion: A Clinical Commentary.

Sport-related concussion (SRC) is a prevalent injury. Significant disparities in SRC outcomes exist across racial and ethnic groups. These disparities may be attributed to the unequal distribution of political power (or influence) and resource allocation in various communities, shaping individuals' social determinants of health (SDOH).

Optimizing Concussion Care Seeking: Connecting Care-Seeking Behaviors and Neurophysiological States Through Blood Biomarkers.

Background: Timely and appropriate medical care after concussion presents a difficult public health problem. Concussion identification and treatment rely heavily on self-report, but more than half of concussions go unreported or are reported after a delay. If incomplete self-report increases exposure to harm, blood biomarkers may objectively indicate this neurobiological dysfunction.

Quest for clarity: investigating concussion-related responsibilities across the New Zealand Rugby Community System.

There is a growing concern around concussions in rugby union, at all levels of the game. These concerns highlight the need to better manage and care for players. However, consistency around concussion-related responsibilities of stakeholders across the community rugby system remains challenging.

Does the Association Between Concussion Measures and Social Context Factors Differ in Black and White Parents?

Context: Middle school (MS) parents may benefit from education supporting timely concussion identification and care-seeking in their young children (aged approximately 10 to 15 years). However, such education may not consider individual needs and different social context factors, including lower socioeconomic status, disadvantaged social determinants of health, and different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Objectives: To examine the relationship between social context factors and concussion knowledge, attitudes, and communication in MS parents and to explore the possible role of race and ethnicity (Black or White) as an effect measure modifier.

The Longitudinal Relationship Between Concussion History, Years of American Football Participation, and Alcohol Use Among Former National Football League Players: an NFL-LONG Study.

Objective: Investigate the relationships between concussion history and years of football participation (repetitive head impact proxy) with alcohol use across multiple decades in former professional football players.

Methods: Participants (n = 348; mean age = 49.0 ± 9.

Access to Athletic Trainers and Emergency Medical Services Activations for Sport-Related Injuries.

Context: Having athletic trainers (ATs) employed at secondary schools is associated with improved preparedness for sport-related emergencies. The use of emergency medical services (EMS) in settings with different access to athletic training services remains unknown.

Objective: To compare the incidence of EMS activations for patients with sport-related injuries among zip codes with various levels of access to athletic training services.

Subjective and Performance-Based Cognition and Their Associations with Head Injury History in Older Former National Football League Players.

Purpose: Investigate the association between self-reported subjective and performance-based cognition among older (50-70 years) former professional American football players, as well as the relationship of cognitive measures with concussion history and years of football participation, as a proxy for repetitive head impact exposure.

Methods: Among older former National Football League (NFL) players ( N = 172; mean age = 60.69 ± 5.

Sport culture and communication among middle school athletes, parents, and staff: A qualitative study.

Middle school (MS) is an intermediary level of education between elementary and secondary school that typically includes students aged 10-15 years. There is limited research within the MS sport setting, particularly related to sport-related injury prevention. This qualitative study aimed to better understand the sport culture within MS sports and the communication strategies used among invested groups (i.

Concussion knowledge, attitudes, and norms: How do they relate?

Background: Relationships between the constructs of concussion-related knowledge, attitudes, and norms and their influence on observed care-seeking behaviors have previously been examined. Current models posit that these constructs serve as potential mediators of care-seeking behaviors; however, the dynamics between them have yet to be reconciled.

Methods: A cross-sectional, online survey explored relationships among the latent constructs of concussion-related knowledge, attitudes, and norms in parents of middle school children who participate in sports in multiple settings.

Analysis of Exertion-Related Injuries and Fatalities in Laborers in the United States.

Laborers are particularly vulnerable to exertional injuries and illnesses, as they often engage in heavy physical work for prolonged hours, yet no studies have examined the top causes of catastrophic exertional injuries and fatalities among this population. The purpose of the investigation was to characterize the top causes of exertional injury and fatality within open access, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reportable data. A secondary analysis of OSHA reported injury and fatality data was performed through open access records from OSHA Severe Injury Reports (2015-2022) and OSHA fatality inspection data (2017-2020), respectively.

Incorporation of concussion history as part of the LIfestyle for BRAin Health (LIBRA) modifiable factors risk score and associations with cognition in older former National Football League players.

Objective: Investigate associations between the LIfestyle for BRAin Health (LIBRA) risk score with odds of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnosis and cognitive function, incorporating concussion history.

Methods: Former National Football League (NFL) players (N = 1050; mean age = 64.8 ± 9.

Joint Injury, Osteoarthritis, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Former National Football League Athletes: An NFL-LONG Study.

Context: Individuals with lower extremity osteoarthritis (OA) have a 25% greater risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than those without OA. The prevalence of traumatic joint injuries among National Football League (NFL) players exposes these athletes to an elevated risk for OA and potentially a greater risk of cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) and CVD.

Objectives: To examine the associations between a history of lower extremity joint injury, lower extremity OA, and the prevalence of CRFs and CVD among former NFL athletes.

Relating American Football Age of First Exposure to Patient-Reported Outcomes and Medical Diagnoses Among Former National Football League Players: An NFL-LONG study.

Background: The age of first exposure (AFE) to American football participation is a growing concern for late-life function. Mixed evidence exists surrounding AFE and may be attributed to varied methods employed across studies.

Objective: To examine the associations between AFE to American football participation with measures of cognitive, behavioral, and physical function and brain-related medical diagnoses across age categories among former National Football League players.

Optimizing Concussion Care Seeking: A Longitudinal Analysis of Recovery.

Background: Approximately half of concussions go undisclosed and therefore undiagnosed. Among diagnosed concussions, 51% to 64% receive delayed medical care. Understanding the influence of undiagnosed concussions and delayed medical care would inform medical and education practices.