Continued Play After a Concussion Prolongs Recovery Time

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. — A study in the September 2016 issue of Pediatrics examines the effects of continued play in young athletes after a concussion.

The study, “Concussion Recovery After Removal from Play,” looked at 69 athletes ages 12 to 19 years and compared their recovery times. Researchers found that athletes who continued to play following a concussion took approximately 44 days to recover, while athletes who were removed from play after a concussion took approximately 22 days to recover.

Study authors concluded that athletes who continued to play following a concussion are 8.8 times more likely to experience an abnormal recovery (longer than 21 days), and that athletes should be removed from play immediately after a concussion in order to hasten recovery time and possibly miss fewer games as a result.