Dizziness, Neck Pain and Headaches Following Sport-Related Concussion: Symptoms, Risk Factors and Physiotherapy Management

Date
2013-01-29
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Abstract
Sport-related concussion is a commonly occurring injury in sport today. Little is currently known about baseline symptoms and Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) scores in youth athletes. Additionally, symptoms of dizziness, neck pain and headaches are commonly reported in the youth population and there is currently no literature evaluating these symptoms as risk factors for incident concussion. There is a paucity of literature currently available evaluating treatment for individuals with persistent symptoms following a sport-related concussion. Thus, while there has been an explosion of research in the area of sport-related concussion, there remain gaps in the current literature specifically relating to symptoms as risk factors for concussion and physiotherapy treatment for individuals with persistent symptoms. In this document, baseline symptoms and scores on the SCAT were evaluated and presented. Reports of dizziness, neck pain and headaches at the start of the season were found to be risk factors for concussion. A systematic review evaluating rest and treatment for individuals with persistent symptoms following a sport-related concussion found that there is minimal evidence currently available. In a randomized controlled trial, individuals who were treated with multimodal physiotherapy treatment, including vestibular rehabilitation, were 10 times more likely to be medically cleared to return to sport within eight weeks of initiation of treatment. Multimodal physiotherapy treatment should be considered for individuals with persistent symptoms of dizziness, neck pain and/or headaches following a sport-related concussion.
Description
Keywords
Rehabilitation and Therapy
Citation
Schneider, K. (2013). Dizziness, Neck Pain and Headaches Following Sport-Related Concussion: Symptoms, Risk Factors and Physiotherapy Management (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/25730