BACKGROUND: Concussion is one of the most commonly occurring injuries in sport today. The Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) is a commonly used paper neurocognitive tool. To date, little is known about SCAT baseline normative values in youth athletes. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine normative values on the SCAT for male and female youth hockey players. METHODS: This is a secondary data analysis of pooled data from three prospective cohort studies examining the risk of injury in paediatric ice hockey players aged 9-17 years. A preseason baseline demographic and injury history questionnaire was completed by each player. RESULTS: A total of 4193 players completed SCATs at baseline and were included in the analysis. 781 players (18.6%) reported a previous history of concussion. Fatigue and low energy followed by headache were the most commonly reported symptoms in all players. The majority of youth players could recite all five words immediately but only three words when delayed. A smaller proportion of the males were able to report the months of the year in reverse order compared with females of a similar age. The median number of digits recited in reverse order was 4. CONCLUSIONS: Youth ratings varied between age groups, gender and from previously reported ratings of varsity athletes, possibly reflecting developmental and gender differences. An understanding of these differences in youth athletes is important to ensure appropriate performance expectations on the SCAT and when making clinical decisions following a concussion.
BACKGROUND: Concussion is one of the most commonly occurring injuries in sport today. The Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) is a commonly used paper neurocognitive tool. To date, little is known about SCAT baseline normative values in youth athletes. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine normative values on the SCAT for male and female youth hockey players. METHODS: This is a secondary data analysis of pooled data from three prospective cohort studies examining the risk of injury in paediatric ice hockey players aged 9-17 years. A preseason baseline demographic and injury history questionnaire was completed by each player. RESULTS: A total of 4193 players completed SCATs at baseline and were included in the analysis. 781 players (18.6%) reported a previous history of concussion. Fatigue and low energy followed by headache were the most commonly reported symptoms in all players. The majority of youth players could recite all five words immediately but only three words when delayed. A smaller proportion of the males were able to report the months of the year in reverse order compared with females of a similar age. The median number of digits recited in reverse order was 4. CONCLUSIONS: Youth ratings varied between age groups, gender and from previously reported ratings of varsity athletes, possibly reflecting developmental and gender differences. An understanding of these differences in youth athletes is important to ensure appropriate performance expectations on the SCAT and when making clinical decisions following a concussion.
Authors: James Meagher; Maeve Leonard; Laura Donoghue; Niamh O'Regan; Suzanne Timmons; Chris Exton; Walter Cullen; Colum Dunne; Dimitrios Adamis; Alasdair J Maclullich; David Meagher Journal: World J Psychiatry Date: 2015-09-22
Authors: Heather M Moor; Rita C Eisenhauer; Kathleen D Killian; Nick Proudfoot; Ashley A Henriques; Joseph A Congeni; Jennifer C Reneker Journal: Int J Sports Phys Ther Date: 2015-04
Authors: Carolyn A Emery; Karen M Barlow; Brian L Brooks; Jeffrey E Max; Angela Villavicencio-Requis; Vithya Gnanakumar; Helen Lee Robertson; Kathryn Schneider; Keith Owen Yeates Journal: Can J Psychiatry Date: 2016-05 Impact factor: 4.356
Authors: David Jennings; Pat Sells; Jenni Allison; Kasey Boyd; Dave Frommert; Chelsea Kessler; Lindsey Merryman; Joe Muchmore; T J Odom; Ryan Salmon; Kevin Robinson Journal: Int J Sports Phys Ther Date: 2015-10