Concussed, me? It’s nothing

If they've already had a concussion before, university athletes are less likely to report symptoms of a new one when the symptoms are less severe, an UdeM study suggests. University athletes who have already suffered a sport-related concussion are less likely to report symptoms of a new concussion if they consider them to be less serious than their previous ones. That's the conclusion of a study of nine Quebec athletes published in August in Neurotrauma Reports by researchers at Université de Montréal's School of Kinesiology and Exercise Sciences. "Our research is the first to have directly looked at the psychology of athletes in terms of concussion disclosure," said William Archambault, who conducted the qualitative study as part of his Ph.D. in exercise sciences. Despite major awareness campaigns, studies show that more than 50 per cent of athletes still do not disclose their concussion symptoms. This can have serious consequences, ranging from persistent symptoms to permanent cognitive sequelae.