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. 2019 Feb;53(4):213-225.
doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2018-100338.

American Medical Society for Sports Medicine position statement on concussion in sport

Kimberly G Harmon  1 , James R Clugston  2 , Katherine Dec  3 , Brian Hainline  4 , Stanley Herring  5 , Shawn F Kane  6 , Anthony P Kontos  7 , John J Leddy  8 , Michael McCrea  9 , Sourav K Poddar  10 , Margot Putukian  11   12 , Julie C Wilson  13 , William O Roberts  14
Affiliations

American Medical Society for Sports Medicine position statement on concussion in sport

Kimberly G Harmon et al. Br J Sports Med. 2019 Feb.

Abstract

Sport-related concussion (SRC) is a common injury in recreational and organised sport. Over the past 30 years, there has been significant progress in our scientific understanding of SRC, which in turn has driven the development of clinical guidelines for diagnosis, assessment and management of SRC. In addition to a growing need for knowledgeable healthcare professionals to provide evidence-based care for athletes with SRC, media attention and legislation have created awareness and, in some cases, fear about many issues and unknowns surrounding SRC. The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) formed a writing group to review the existing literature on SRC, update its previous position statement, and to address current evidence and knowledge gaps regarding SRC. The absence of definitive outcomes-based data is challenging and requires relying on the best available evidence integrated with clinical experience and patient values. This statement reviews the definition, pathophysiology and epidemiology of SRC, the diagnosis and management of both acute and persistent concussion symptoms, the short-term and long-term risks of SRC and repetitive head impact exposure, SRC prevention strategies, and potential future directions for SRC research. The AMSSM is committed to best clinical practices, evidence-based research and educational initiatives that positively impact the health and safety of athletes.

Keywords: athlete; concussion; sport.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: KGH has research grants from Vulcan Industries and the Pac-12, outside of submitted work JRC reports grants from Banyan Biomarkers, grants from Florida High Tech Corridor Matching Funds Program, and grants from NCAA-DoD CARE Consortium, outside the submitted work. SH has stock options in Vicis, outside of submitted work. APK has research contracts with GE-NFL Head Health Initiative, Abbott Labs and ElMindA, and receives royalties from the book ’Concussion', outside of submitted work. JJL has research grant from the AMSSM, outside of submitted work.