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Soccer-playing girls 5 times more likely to return to same-day play after concussion
Increased likelihood for return to play stacks on top of increased risk of concussion for girls in soccer.
CHICAGO – Children who experience concussion can develop deficits in auditory processing that could impair long-term academic performance and carry implications for return-to-play strategies, according to a study.
Investigators assessed 40 children aged 8-15 years, half of whom experienced concussion. The postconcussion group of 20 children had slower and smaller neural responses to speech, compared with 20 control children, on the noninvasive frequency-following response measure.
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“The ability to hear in noise following concussion is impaired in the pediatric population, based on our results, which suggests it might pose additional challenges for classroom learning,” Ms. Thompson said. The study also suggests that auditory function should be considered part of acute and long-term assessment of children post concussion.
Importantly, all participants in the study had normal hearing. “It’s important to know these are very subtle auditory deficits that only emerge if you’re looking for them,” Ms. Thompson said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Children in the concussion group were recruited from the concussion clinic at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Patients were assessed an average of 27 days post injury, with most still symptomatic. The children in the control group had been treated for musculoskeletal injuries. The concussed and control groups were matched for sex and gender.
“We think that these results have implications beyond the classroom,” Ms. Thompson said. “Auditory deficits might increase risk of reinjury if sports are being played in loud, noisy gymnasiums or crowded soccer fields. So this is important to consider with return-to-play strategies.” She added, “There is hope. Auditory processing is a malleable skill, and it can be a useful target for rehabilitation and recovery.”
Ms. Thompson had no relevant financial disclosures. The study was supported by the Knowles Hearing Center.
