University of Virginia prospective study of football-induced minor head injury: status report

Abstract

We have recently completed the field work phase of a 4-year prospective study of football-induced minor head injuries. Players from 10 University football teams were monitored up to 4 years, and a brief neuropsychological and psychosocial assessment battery was administered to them up to five times before and after injury. Objectives of this project focus on the frequency of head injuries in college football, the impairments that might result from such injury, the duration of impairments, the time course of their recovery, and the possibility of cumulative effects of multiple injuries during the player's college career. Approximately 2500 players were monitored during the study, and nearly 200 players were restudied following minor head injuries. A series of nearly 60 players with orthopedic injuries were tested using the same protocol, and a college student control series of 50 patients were similarly studied. Data analyses are currently underway, and the first report of the findings of this study will be available soon. This article has described the objectives and design of this study, outlined the neuropsychological and psychosocial assessment protocol, and discussed some of the issues related to project implementation. Current data analyses focus on the size of the effects of minor head injury on cognitive and psychosocial performance observed following minor head injury. Upon completion of the initial data analyses, our analysis plan includes having at least two neuropsychologists make independent assessments of the clinical significance of the findings. Similar assessments will be made of the neurophysical symptoms and complaints and psychosocial performance of players after injury.