Member Resource Library
NATA News infographic handout on concussions, updated in 2023
The purpose of this paper is to discuss risk and prognostic factors for concussion outcomes, review comprehensive approaches to assessment, and describe a new method for conceptualizing treatment for sport-related concussion using clinical experience.
The Concussion Safety Protocol Committee met March 9, 2015, at the NCAA national office. The purpose of the meeting was to define the scope and parameters of the committee, in keeping with the new legislation, and to develop a checklist that outlines the core components for each institution’s concussion management plan. This checklist serves as guidance for the concussion protocols of autonomy Division I member schools as well as the concussion protocols for non-autonomy Division I, Division II and Division III member schools.
A main component of Recognize to Recover is focused on head injuries, including concussions. U.S. Soccer has taken a lead in education, research and proposing rule changes to improve player safety for several years. As the science of evaluating and managing concussions has advanced, key findings emphasize the need for education of players, their families, coaches, medical staffs and the public at large on the signs and symptoms of concussion. There is also a critical need for early identification and proper management of a concussion. The goal of the U.S. Soccer Concussion Management Program is to provide state of the art education, evaluation and management of concussions among national teams players. The program includes pre-injury baseline testing with comprehensive post-injury follow-up evaluations and return to play protocols. At the core of the program is a network of sports neuropsychologists who will serve as referral sources for post-injury evaluations and provide team medical staff with important information about a player's post-injury neurocognitive status.
In the United States, an estimated 1.7 million people sustain a TBI annually, associated with 1.365 million emergency room visits and 275,000 hospitalizations annually with associated direct and indirect costs estimated to have been $60 billion in the United States in 2000.
Journal of Athletic Training article that discusses computer-based neurocognitive assessment programs, which are commonly used to assist in concussion diagnosis and management. These tests have been adopted readily by many clinicians based on existing test-retest reliability data provided by test developers.