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Sports
Special Issues
Sport-Related Concussion and Head Impact in Athletes
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Sport-Related Concussion and Head Impact in Athletes

A special issue of Sports (ISSN 2075-4663).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2025 | Viewed by 653

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ed Daly

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition, School of Science and Computing, Atlantic Technological University, Dublin Rd., H91 T8NW Galway, Ireland
Interests: mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) physiology; mTBI/concussion education strategies; athlete workload management (injury risk); objective mTBI/concussion diagnosis; post injury management; long term health
Dr. Lisa Ryan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition, School of Science and Computing, Atlantic Technological University, Dublin Rd., H91 T8NW Galway, Ireland
Interests: sports nutrition; analysis and development of novel functional foods for glycemic control and weight loss; maintenance with a particular focus on the potential role of phytochemicals as functional food ingredients; concussion; entrepreneurship; brain injury

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sport-related concussion (SRC), repetitive head impacts, and mTBI are concerns in sports medicine, neuroscience, and the broader discipline of biomechanics. This Special Issue examines emerging advancements in the assessment, management, and long-term effects of SRC. This Special Issues seeks a multidisciplinary approach spanning clinical research, neuroimaging, biomarkers, and biomechanics. Contributions may include epidemiological studies analyzing SRC incidence across various sports, development and innovation in diagnostic tools, and emerging evidence on sex-based differences in concussion susceptibility and recovery.

This issue investigates the biomechanical aspects of head impacts, including impact thresholds, and wearable sensor applications for real-time monitoring. Articles addressing cognitive, psychological, and neurodegenerative outcomes following repeated SRC to provide insights into long-term issues and related neurocognitive disorders are encouraged. Novel rehabilitation strategies, including areas such as neuroplasticity-based interventions, rehabilitation therapies, and return-to-play protocols, will be considered.

With a focus on translational research, this issue seeks contributions from clinicians, researchers, and sports organizations to improve SRC reduction, diagnosis, and treatment. This Special Issue aims to advance evidence-based guidelines, which may enhance athlete safety at all levels of competition, including professional, amateur (community sport), and other sport-related recreational activities.

Dr. Ed Daly
Dr. Lisa Ryan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sports is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sports-related concussion (SRC)
  • mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)
  • emerging technologies
  • diagnosis and management
  • gender-based differences
  • long-term effects
  • cognitive degeneration
  • psychological impacts
  • qualitative and quantitative research

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

12 pages, 272 KiB  
Review
Tools for Diagnosing and Managing Sport-Related Concussion in UK Primary Care: A Scoping Review
by Sachin Bhandari, Soo Yit Gustin Mak, Neil Heron and John Rogers
Sports 2025, 13(7), 201; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13070201 - 23 Jun 2025
Viewed by 348
Abstract
Background: The UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) grassroots concussion guidance, May 2023, advised that all community-based sport-related concussions (SRCs) be diagnosed by a healthcare practitioner. This may require that general practitioners (GPs) diagnose and manage SRCs. Diagnosing SRCs in [...] Read more.
Background: The UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) grassroots concussion guidance, May 2023, advised that all community-based sport-related concussions (SRCs) be diagnosed by a healthcare practitioner. This may require that general practitioners (GPs) diagnose and manage SRCs. Diagnosing SRCs in primary care settings in the United Kingdom (UK) presents significant challenges, primarily due to the lack of validated tools specifically designed for general practitioners (GPs). This scoping review aims to identify diagnostic and management tools for SRCs in grassroots sports and primary care settings. Aims: To identify tools that can be used by GPs to diagnose and manage concussions in primary care, both adult and paediatric populations. Design and Methods: A scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScRs). Five databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar) were searched from 1946 to April 2025. Search terms included “concussion”, “primary care”, and “diagnosis”. Studies that discussed SRCs in community or primary care settings were included. Those that exclusively discussed secondary care and elite sports were excluded, as well as non-English studies. Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts, and full texts, with a third resolving any disagreements. Data were extracted into Microsoft Excel. Studies were assessed for quality using the Joanna Briggs critical appraisal tools and AGREE II checklist. Results: Of 727 studies, 12 met the inclusion criteria. Identified tools included Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 6 (SCAT6, 10–15 min, adolescent/adults), Sport Concussion Office Assessment Tool 6 (SCOAT6, 45–60 min, multidisciplinary), the Buffalo Concussion Physical Examination (BCPE, 5–6 min, adolescent-focused), and the Brain Injury Screening Tool (BIST, 6 min, ages 8+). As part of BCPE, a separate Telehealth version was developed for remote consultations. SCAT6 and SCOAT6 are designed for healthcare professionals, including GPs, but require additional training and time beyond typical UK consultation lengths (9.2 min). BIST and BCPE show promise but require UK validation. Conclusions: SCAT6, SCOAT6, BIST, and BCPE could enhance SRC care, but their feasibility in UK primary care requires adaptation (e.g., integration with GP IT systems and alignment with NICE guidelines). Further research is required to validate these tools and assess additional training needs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sport-Related Concussion and Head Impact in Athletes)
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