In a study involving 594 patients with sports-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), only 45% had made a clinical recovery (had no more symptoms) after 14 days. The finding challenges current belief that most people with a sports-related mTBI recover within 10 to 14 days

Clinical recovery rate increased to 77% at four weeks after injury and 96% at eight weeks. Recovery time was similar across age groups – again, in contrast to clinical guidelines that children have longer times to clinical recovery after mTBI. However, females had longer recovery times, as did those with certain conditions previously linked to longer recovery times (history of migraine or mental health issues).

Additionally, those who got treatment more quickly had faster recovery times. Early treatment has been shown to speed recovery time in several studies. For example, in one recent study, involving 162 athletes aged 12-22, those treated within the first week of injury recovered faster than athletes who did not receive care until eight days to three weeks after injury. The interesting thing is that the length of time spent recovering was the same for athletes evaluated early and those evaluated later, indicating it’s the days before initial clinical care that’s the main reason for the difference in recovery time.

It’s worth noting that another study, which wasn’t focused solely on sport-related mTBI, found even longer recovery times. That study involved 1,154 patients with mTBI who sought care at level 1 trauma centers and 299 patients with orthopedic injuries but no signs of head trauma. The two groups showed similar limitations in their daily life for the first 6 months, but at 12 months, while 62% of the orthopedic group reported a full return to their normal functioning, only 47% of those with mTBI did.

All patients in the present study were seen on average 8 days after injury. The average age was 20 years, with about 7.5% being children under age 12. 77% were male.