Sports head injuries need definitions
In recent years it has become clear that athletes who experience repeated impacts to the head may be at risk of potentially serious neurological and psychiatric problems. But a study of sports programs at three major universities, published in the Oct. 2 Journal of Neurosurgery, finds that the way the injury commonly called concussion is usually diagnosed — largely based on athletes’ subjective symptoms — varies greatly and may not be the best way to determine who is at risk for future problems. In addition, the way the term “concussion” is used in sports injuries may differ from how it is used in other medical contexts, potentially hindering communication about the factors most relevant to patient outcomes. “The term ‘concussion’ means different things to different people, and it’s not yet clear that the signs and symptoms we now use to make a diagnosis will ultimately prove to be the most important pieces...