Updated guidelines aim to better manage concussions

TORONTO -- An international panel of experts has issued an updated consensus statement on evaluating and treating sports-related concussions, which includes some tweaks on managing the brain injury and a discussion on the possible link with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

The goal of the statement is to update doctors, athletic therapists and other health-care providers on the best way to diagnose a concussion at a sporting event and to manage the patient's recovery over time.

"Concussion is one of the most complex injuries to diagnose and treat, and our understanding of concussion is constantly evolving," said panel co-chair Dr. Willem Meeuwisse, leader of the University of Calgary's Brain Injury Initiative.

"This document attempts to give health-care professionals a road map to what we believe will provide the best patient outcomes."

The paper is also intended to help advise sports federations -- among them those representing hockey, football and soccer -- on how to adapt the guidelines to their individual sport.

Published in the April issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the statement was penned following a meeting of 32 experts, including several Canadians, in Zurich last November. Experts have met roughly every four years since 2001, and this is the fourth consensus document to be issued.

One change in the updated version is that an athlete who has suffered a concussion may not always have to rest their brains and bodies as long as previously thought before returning to cognitive and physical activities.

Based on the latest studies, the panel agreed that some of the current treatment protocols -- including extended rest -- are largely unproven and may not be ideal after the first week following injury.

They suggest that a gradual return to school, social and physical activities is "a sensible approach," but that athletes should receive medical clearance before returning to competition.

"Typically, we see around 80 per cent of athletes will be recovered within about a week to 10 days," Meeuwisse said Monday from Calgary.

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Updated guidelines aim to better manage concussions