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Observational Study of Prevention and Intervention Strategies That Help Speed Return to Play Post-Concussion in Division I College Football

Objective We present evidence that a neurovisual oriented training program is associated with decreased concussion incidence and faster return to play (RTP) post injury in this observational cohort study. Background Sports concussion has been in the public eye and has been associated with heightened fear concerning playing football and other collision based sports. Protecting from concussion and rehabilitating the brain after a concussion is a high priority for many sports medical practitioners as well as for athletes wanting to play. For these reasons researchers associated with the American Athletic Conference (AAC) have been monitoring concussion incidence in football. Design/Methods The 12 schools of the AAC were surveyed for 2014, 2015, and 2016 concerning football induced concussions. Results The average seasonal concussion rate was 10.4 ± 1.02 concussions per year and average RTP time was 13.2 ± 1.21 days. In the one team where there was an aggressive neuro visual conditioning and rehabilitation post-concussion program employed the concussion rate was 3.0 ± 1.0 concussions per year and the RTP time was 6.5 ± 0.5 days. Both numbers are significantly lower than in the other AAC teams. Conclusions The current paper reports that there may be mitigation strategies that can be employed to decrease concussion incidence as well as aid in faster RTP times. Such attempts to make football safer are needed as brain injury has been associated with long term consequences. Improving safety and brain health through mitigation strategies along with rehabilitation methods may aid in keeping athletes safer during play and throughout the lifespan.