A 2017 study presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 69th Annual Meeting, “Women May Be at Higher Risk for Sports-Related Concussion than Men,” by Dr. James Noble of Columbia University analyzed 1,203 athletes from 2000 to 2014. Of the 228 athletes who sustained at least one concussion, women made up 23% and men 17%, i.e., women were 50% more likely to sustain a concussion. In gender-comparable sports like soccer and basketball, the same pattern held.
Key Takeaways
- Female athletes are 50% more likely to sustain a concussion than male athletes in the same sports
- Recovery time is similar: 10 days average return to play for both sexes
- Symptoms differ: Women report more insomnia; men report more amnesia
- Female athletes report more symptoms and greater severity overall
- No female-specific concussion guidelines or care plans currently exist
- Female athletes have historically been underrepresented in concussion research
Why Are Women at Higher Risk?
Researchers are actively working on this question but some proposed explanations include differences in neck musculature, hormonal factors, and biomechanics. Brain injury research has long focused on male populations, in part because traumatic brain injury occurs about twice as often in males as in females, and female athletes have been underrepresented in the studies that shape clinical guidelines. When diagnosis depends primarily on symptom reporting and clinical observation, gaps in female-specific research can affect outcomes. A female athlete may report more symptoms or have her experience compared against a baseline derived from male athletes.
EyeBOX is the only FDA-cleared objective concussion diagnostic that does not require a pre-injury baseline test. It measures eye-tracking responses to detect subtle changes in brain function after a head injury. EyeBOX metrics are age and gender normalized, meaning each patient’s results are compared against the normal population for their specific age and sex. EyeBOX is cleared for use in patients ages 5 to 67 years. Book your demo today.