Concussions during the 1997 Canadian Football League season

Objective: To examine the incidence and characteristics of concussions for one season in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Design: Retrospective survey. Participants: 289 players reporting to CFL training camp. Of these, 154 pla yers had played in the CFL during the 1997 season. Main Outcome Measures: Based on self-reported symptoms, calculations were m ade to determine the number of concussions experienced during the previous season, the duration of symptoms, the time for return to play after concuss ion, and any associated risk factors for concussions. Results: Of all the athletes who played during the 1997 season, 44.8% exper ienced symptoms of a concussion. Only 18.8% of these concussed players reco gnized they had suffered a concussion. 69.6% of all concussed players exper ienced more than one episode. Symptoms lasted at least 1 day in 25.8% of ca ses. The odds of experiencing a concussion increased 13% with each game pla yed. A past history of a loss of consciousness while playing football and a recognized concussion while playing football were both associated with inc reased odds of experiencing a concussion during the 1997 season. Conclusion: Many players experienced a concussion during the 1997 CFL seaso n, but the majority of these players may not have recognized that fact. Pla yers need to be better informed about the symptoms and effects of concussio ns.