Contact or Collision Sport History, Repetitive Neurotrauma, and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Early to Midadulthood

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Neurotrauma Research
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• Limited data exists on the long-term effects of repetitive neurotrauma on patient-reported outcomes, especially in diverse populations.
• Previous studies often focused on homogeneous groups of male athletes without comparison or consideration of physical activity levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of contact/collision sports and repetitive head impacts on patient-reported outcomes in early to middle-aged adults.
• To compare outcomes across different levels of physical activity and repetitive head impact exposure.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study conducted in a research laboratory setting.
• 113 adults were categorized into four groups based on physical activity and repetitive head impact (RHI) history.
• Utilized SF-12, AES-S, SWLS, and SCAT5 to assess patient-reported outcomes.

Main Results:

• Physically inactive individuals (NON group) reported worse physical function, apathy, and life satisfaction compared to physically active non-contact athletes (NCA group).
• No significant differences were found in self-rated mental health or concussion symptoms across groups.
• Neither contact/collision sport participation nor career duration was associated with negative patient-reported outcomes in active adults.

Conclusions:

• A history of contact/collision sports and career duration did not negatively impact patient-reported outcomes in physically active adults.
• Physical inactivity was identified as a significant negative factor for patient-reported outcomes, independent of repetitive head impact history.