Females Who Suffer Concussions Take Longer to Recover

Females Who Suffer Concussions Take Longer to Recover

A recently published study from the renowned Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) explored the role that gender plays in the recovery process following concussions. Over the past few years, there has been a lot of attention paid to concussions and the impact that they might have on the function of the brain. Specifically, there has been an increased focus on their impact on young athletes. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has published some interesting research on how male versus female athletes recover following a concussion. The results show that gender might play a bigger role in someone’s recovery from a concussion than previously thought. This new research might also change the approach that doctors take in advising an athlete on his or her recovery process. In honor of National Concussion Awareness Day, this important research deserves more attention.

Previous Speculation on Gender and Concussions

There have been hypotheses on how and why gender might play a role in someone’s recovery process after a concussion. Past scientists have speculated that female athletes might have longer recovery times than their male peers. While there was some anecdotal evidence in the past that this might be the case, the reason behind this was incorrect.

Previous scientists have thought that females might take longer to recover than males due to biological differences. This included hypotheses surrounding different levels of strength and lean muscle mass. In addition, other hypotheses speculated that differences in hormones might play a large role. This turned out not to be the case.

A Publication from CHOP in the Journal of Sports Medicine

The overarching result from an interesting study out of CHOP showed that female athletes often take longer to recover from concussions because they simply take longer to seek medical care. This is a major problem because every athlete, regardless of gender, deserves appropriate medical care following a serious traumatic injury. This includes injuries sustained while playing sports, particularly when an impact to the head might be involved.

The lead author of the paper out of CHOP indicates that the delay in seeking care might actually be related to differences in medical coverage between boys and girls. The author postulates that sports which are typically identified as “female” might not be covered by medical insurance companies in the same way that sports traditionally seen as “male” are covered.

This gender bias is simply inappropriate and outdated in today’s era. Even though boys might be more traditionally associated with contact sports, such as football, girls are also prone to sustaining serious injuries in contact sports. These include sports such as soccer, basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, and others. Even cheerleading carries with it a significant risk of sustaining a concussion. If a girl were to sustain a concussion playing any of these sports, their risk of traumatic brain injury deserves the same level of medical coverage as any male sport.

A Delay in Care Has Significant Clinical Implications

The delay in care following a concussion can have a significant impact on the athlete’s recovery. According to the researchers, the period following a concussion is crucial during the recovery. After the injury is sustained, clinical management such as immediate removal from playing and modification of activities will play a major role in the recovery process. Overall, the faster the athlete is removed from sports and their brain allowed to rest, the faster he or she will recover. This clinical difference should be enough for all providers to share appropriate medical care with an athlete, regardless of gender, following an injury.

The Design of the Study: Significant Results

The researchers from CHOP set up a study where they followed student-athletes during sports. Overall, the researchers tracked close to 200 athletes who suffered a concussion while involved in competitive athletics. The sports that these athletes played all varied. The athletes ranged in age from seven years old to young adulthood.

All of these athletes suffered a concussion during either practice or a game. Then, all athletes sought care from a sports medicine specialist with extensive training in concussions. Overall, the researchers noted that the average number of days for a male athlete to receive care was nine. On the other hand, girls took an average of 15 days to receive medical care.

This difference is significant because delays in seeking care have been linked to longer recovery times. This means it takes longer for an athlete to return to school, work, and competitive sports. There have already been previous studies showing that girls take longer to recover from concussions than boys. This research study might have finally found the reason why.

Future Directions in Concussions

Clearly, more research into concussions needs to be completed. Studies in the future need to explore why female athletes are taking longer to seek medical care. Then, these obstacles need to be removed. Female athletes deserve access to the same timely medical care as do their male counterparts. On National Concussion Awareness Day, removing obstacles that prevent someone from having access to appropriate medical care is a necessity. By improving access to medical care, all athletes should be able to enjoy a more rapid recovery process.

Sacramento Brain Injury Lawyer 

I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Brain Injury Lawyer. Concussions are an important issue that might lead to long-term brain damage if not properly addressed. If someone you love has sustained a brain injury due to the negligence of another person or entity, please call me today at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly legal advice.