Concussion diagnosis and recovery in relation to collegiate athletic department classification: a LIMBIC MATARS consortium investigation.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: We investigated time to reach concussion diagnosis and recovery milestones in collegiate athletes relative to their schools' National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) classification. METHODS: We retrospectively examined 849 (43.1% female) concussion cases from 11 NCAA institutions (Division I Power 5 [n = 4], Division I Non-Power 5 [n = 4], and Division II/III [n = 3]) from the 2015-16 to 2019-20 athletic seasons. Our primary outcome measures were days to reach specific clinical milestones following concussion. RESULTS: Median (IQR) time from injury to diagnosis was significantly longer at Division II/III institutions (1 [0-4] days) compared to Division I Power 5 (0 [0-1] days) and Division I Non-Power 5 (0 [0-1] days) institutions (p < 0.001). Likewise, Division II/III athletes (15 [11-22] days) took significantly longer to return to sport after concussion than Division I Power 5 (10 [7-16] days) and Division I Non-Power 5 (11 [7-18.5] days) athletes (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Division II/III athletes had delayed concussion diagnoses and return to sport timelines compared to Division I athletes. Our results suggest that differences in sports medicine resources across NCAA divisions may influence injury recognition and recovery in collegiate athletes with concussion.