| Determining when it is safe for an athlete to return-to-play (RTP) after sustaining a concussion is a primary concern for healthcare professionals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between sport-related concussion and subsequent occurrence of lower extremity musculoskeletal injury in collegiate athletes. This study also aimed to establish if a relationship exists between the length of recovery-time needed by an athlete prior to returning to play after a concussion and risk of lower extremity musculoskeletal injury. We also examined the contribution that sex may have on recovery time and lower extremity musculoskeletal risk after a concussion. A retrospective, matched-cohort study design utilizing a review of medical records of collegiate athletes from the past ten years was conducted.;A total of 164, athletes across 10 different sports were included in this study. Eighty-two concussed athletes (58 male, 24 female) were each randomly matched with one non-concussed athlete by sex, sport, position, calendar year, and body mass index (BMI). Data pertaining to any lower extremity musculoskeletal injury that had occurred, in the 90-day period prior to the concussed subjects' concussion and in the subsequent 180-day period after the concussed athlete RTP, was collected and analyzed for each concussed athlete and their matched control.;The results of this study revealed that concussed athletes were at increased risk of future lower extremity musculoskeletal injury after RTP following a concussion. Sixty-two percent of concussed athletes selected for this study sustained a lower extremity musculoskeletal injury within 180 days after RTP following their concussion as compared to 26% of matched control athletes. These results indicate that the odds for an athlete with history of concussion, sustaining a lowering extremity musculoskeletal injury after RTP following a concussion is 7.37 greater than an athlete with no history of concussion. The number of days it took for athletes to RTP after a concussion was not statistically different in athletes who sustained a subsequent lower extremity musculoskeletal injury and those who did not. Although not statistically significant, female athletes demonstrated longer concussion recovery times and a greater incidence of lower extremity musculoskeletal injury following a concussion. |
