Dr. Jaclyn B. Caccese of The Ohio State University College of Medicine led “Sex Differences in Recovery Trajectories of Assessments for Sport-Related Concussion Among NCAA Athletes: A CARE Consortium Study,” published through the Concussion Assessment, Research and Education (CARE) Consortium. The study followed 906 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes, 61% of whom were female, all competing in sex-comparable sports. Athletes were tracked at six timepoints spanning from within 6 hours of injury to 6 months post-injury, with evaluations covering cognitive function, balance, reaction time, vision, vestibular function, symptoms, anxiety, depression, and quality of life.
Key Takeaways
- Across nearly all assessments, recovery trajectories were similar for female and male athletes
- Vestibular and ocular symptom scores were higher in female athletes at 24 to 48 hours
- Female athletes reported a greater symptom burden at every timepoint, but this did not translate to a slower recovery
What Makes This Study Different
Most prior research on sex differences in concussion recovery captured athletes at a single moment. This study tracked the same athletes across six timepoints, which tells a different story.
The one short-term difference between male and female was vestibular and ocular symptoms in the first 48 hours after injury; including dizziness, visual disturbance, difficulty coordinating eye movements. This highlights a clinically meaningful window, since it is when initial evaluations and early management decisions occur.
Why This Matters for Diagnosis
Understanding female athletes may present with more vestibular and ocular symptoms early in recovery is useful clinical information and argues for assessment tools that can measure those functions objectively, rather than relying solely on symptom self-report.
For clinicians and athletic trainers looking for an objective way to assess concussion at the point of care, EyeBOX is the only FDA-cleared concussion diagnostic that requires no pre-injury baseline. Results are age and gender normalized, cleared for patients ages 5 to 67 years, and available for use in clinics. Learn more at oculogica.com.