Sports-related concussion symptoms last longer for adolescent girls, study suggests

A new study published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association suggested that the concussion symptoms suffered by adolescent female athletes last twice as long as their male counterparts.  

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According to the study, pre-existing conditions such as migraines, anxiety, depression, and stress are thought to be the reason behind extended recovery.

In the study, the medical records of 212 participants (102 females and 110 males) in the age group of 11–18, who were diagnosed with concussion for the first time, were analyzed. The symptoms lasted for an average of 28 days for girls and 11 days for boys.

The resultant data indicated that in comparison with the 42% girls, the symptoms in 75% of the boys got resolved within a period of 3 weeks.   

John Neidecker, DO, the lead author of the study commended that the study findings underline the need for taking a whole-person approach to manage concussions, in which understanding the mental and emotional impacts on recovery is important.

Previous researches indicate that concussions worsen a few pre-existing conditions, such as depression, headaches, stress, and anxiety, commonly seen in girls.  

For treating the right condition, physicians should be able to understand the overlap of symptoms; they should be skilled enough to elicit any patient history that may complicate recovery.

According to Dr. Neidecker, diagnosis is tricky as teenagers are naturally stressful and emotional. In order to have a better understanding of the patient, he recommends enquiring them if they are tough on themselves or feel bad for weak performances.

He also explained that a baseline level of stress generally exists in patients with Type A personality traits; such patients become more stressed when they are not able to perform well.

In order to manage stress, if the patient loses the physical outlet of sport, it adds to the complexity during recovery period.

"Uncovering and addressing any underlying conditions gets them back on the field faster and ultimately helps them be healthier and happier in the future”, said Dr. Neidecker.