When an athlete gets a head injury, especially in a contact sport, the main concern is often a concussion. But how long does it really take to recover and get back to work? A new nationwide study from Sweden sheds light on this question, using official registered data to track thousands of individuals who experienced a sport-related traumatic brain injury (SR-TBI).
The study, published in BMC Public Health, ‘Sickness absence > 14 days following sport-related traumatic brain injuries: a nationwide register-based study in Sweden’ sheds light on how often sport-related brain injuries lead to extended time off work. The results might surprise you.
Published by Doctor Christin Oldenburg and colleagues in Sweden, this study reviewed national registry data from 2,826 adults, ages 18 to 63, who suffered sport-related traumatic brain injuries (SR-TBIs). Of those cases, 91% were diagnosed with concussions. Despite the high numbers, only 7% of those with concussions required new sick leave lasting more than 14 days.
4 key takeaways from this study:
- Most Concussions Don’t Lead to Long-Term Absence: As just mentioned, the vast majority of injuries (91%) were concussions, and only 7% of these led to more than 14 days of sickness absence from work. This suggests that for most athletes, concussions are not a major barrier to returning to daily activities.
- Severity and Care Matter: While concussions were less likely to cause a long absence, more severe brain injuries told a different story. For individuals with other intracranial injuries (like hemorrhages), a staggering 32% required extended sickness absence. Similarly, those who needed inpatient hospital care were twice as likely to be off work compared to those treated only as outpatients.
- The Type of Injury is a Major Factor: The study found that the cause of the injury significantly impacted recovery. Injuries from “transport accidents” (like horseback riding or bicycling) were more than twice as likely to lead to an extended absence compared to injuries from a tackle in a team sport. The researchers suggest this might be due to high-impact accidents often causing other physical injuries, not just brain trauma.
- Sociodemographic Played a Small Role: Interestingly, factors like age, gender, education level, and marital status did not significantly predict a person’s need for sickness absence after an SR-TBI. For this group of athletes, the nature of the injury itself was the most important factor in their recovery.
This study’s findings are reassuring and suggests that while concussions should always be taken seriously, most people recover relatively quickly and don’t face a long-term inability to work. However, it also highlights the importance of professional medical care for any head injury. If an injury is diagnosed as a more severe TBI, the road to recovery can be much longer. Objective, data-driven diagnostics are essential in making confident return-to-play and return-to-work decisions after a concussion. EyeBOX is the first and only FDA-cleared concussion diagnostic that does not require a pre-injury baseline test. The test is cleared for use in patients ages 5 to 67 years. It is fast and easy to use for both the patient and the physician, and a hallmark of a new era of objective concussion diagnostics.