The Prevalence and Influence of New or Worsened Neck Pain After a Sport-Related Concussion in Collegiate Athletes: A Study From the CARE Consortium

BACKGROUND: Neck pain in a concussion population is an emerging area of study that has been shown to have a negative influence on recovery. This effect has not yet been studied in collegiate athletes. HYPOTHESIS: New or worsened neck pain is common after a concussion (>30%), negatively influences recovery, and is associated with patient sex and level of contact in sport. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. METHODS: Varsity-level athletes from 29 National Collegiate Athletic Association member institutions as well as nonvarsity sport athletes at military service academies were eligible for enrollment. Participants completed a preseason baseline assessment and follow-up assessments at 6 and 24 to 48 hours after a concussion, when they were symptom-free, and when they returned to unrestricted play. Data collection occurred between January 2014 and September 2018. RESULTS: A total of 2163 injuries were studied. New or worsened neck pain was reported with 47.0% of injuries. New or worsened neck pain was associated with patient sex (higher in female athletes), an altered mental status after the injury, the mechanism of injury, and what the athlete collided with. The presence of new/worsened neck pain was associated with delayed recovery. Those with new or worsened neck pain had 11.1 days of symptoms versus 8.8 days in those without (<i>P</i> &lt; .001). They were also less likely to have a resolution of self-reported symptoms in ≤7 days (<i>P</i> &lt; .001). However, the mean duration of the return-to-play protocol was not significantly different for those with new or worsened neck pain (7.5 ± 7.7 days) than those without (7.4 ± 8.3 days) (<i>P</i> = .592). CONCLUSION: This novel study shows that neck pain was common in collegiate athletes sustaining a concussion, was influenced by many factors, and negatively affected recovery.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Published
2024-11-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.17615/v16b-nq94
Primary Topic
Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

The Prevalence and Influence of New or Worsened Neck Pain After a Sport-Related Concussion in Collegiate Athletes: A Study From the CARE Consortium

Jason P. Mihalik, Lindsay D. Nelson, Thomas W. McAllister, Jeffrey A. King et al.
Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation
article

The Prevalence and Influence of New or Worsened Neck Pain After a Sport-Related Concussion in Collegiate Athletes: A Study From the CARE Consortium

Jason P. Mihalik, Lindsay D. Nelson, Thomas W. McAllister, Jeffrey A. King, Anikó Szabó, Paul F. Pasquina, Jordan A. Gliedt, Chris Miles, Steven P. Broglio, Kenneth L. Cameron, Nicholas Port, Sara P. D. Chrisman, Joshua Goldman, Justus D. Ortega, Thomas A. Buckley, Daniel L. Huber, Benjamin L. Brett, Thomas W. Kaminski, James T. Eckner, Gerald McGinty, Anthony P. Kontos, Kelly Cheever, Christina L. Master, James R. Clugston, Luis A. Feigenbaum, Huaying Dong, Stefan M. Duma, Louise A. Kelly, Holly J. Benjamin, April Hoy, Michael McCrea
article en

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Neck pain in a concussion population is an emerging area of study that has been shown to have a negative influence on recovery. This effect has not yet been studied in collegiate athletes. HYPOTHESIS: New or worsened neck pain is common after a concussion (>30%), negatively influences recovery, and is associated with patient sex and level of contact in sport. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. METHODS: Varsity-level athletes from 29 National Collegiate Athletic Association member institutions as well as nonvarsity sport athletes at military service academies were eligible for enrollment. Participants completed a preseason baseline assessment and follow-up assessments at 6 and 24 to 48 hours after a concussion, when they were symptom-free, and when they returned to unrestricted play. Data collection occurred between January 2014 and September 2018. RESULTS: A total of 2163 injuries were studied. New or worsened neck pain was reported with 47.0% of injuries. New or worsened neck pain was associated with patient sex (higher in female athletes), an altered mental status after the injury, the mechanism of injury, and what the athlete collided with. The presence of new/worsened neck pain was associated with delayed recovery. Those with new or worsened neck pain had 11.1 days of symptoms versus 8.8 days in those without (<i>P</i> &lt; .001). They were also less likely to have a resolution of self-reported symptoms in ≤7 days (<i>P</i> &lt; .001). However, the mean duration of the return-to-play protocol was not significantly different for those with new or worsened neck pain (7.5 ± 7.7 days) than those without (7.4 ± 8.3 days) (<i>P</i> = .592). CONCLUSION: This novel study shows that neck pain was common in collegiate athletes sustaining a concussion, was influenced by many factors, and negatively affected recovery.

Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Abbott Laboratories, University of Pittsburgh, Australian Football League, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, Pacira BioSciences, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Army, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Combat Casualty Care Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity
Gender equality
Openalex Percentile: Top 63%
Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.