Research Finds Gender Differences in Athletes’ Recovery From Concussions

A study conducted by researchers at Michigan State University finds that women athletes who suffer from a concussion have a longer recovery period than for male athletes who have had a concussion.

The study, led by Tracey Covassin, an assistant professor of kinesiology at Michigan State, found that for those who had suffered a concussion, women’s performance was lower than men’s on postconcussion visual memory tests. Women were also more likely than men to report postconcussion symptoms.

“We need to raise awareness that yes, female athletes do get concussions,” Dr. Covassin said. “Too often, when we speak with parents and coaches, they overlook the fact that in comparable sports, females are concussed more than males.”

Dr. Covassin’s research was funded by a grant from the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment and was published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. The article can be accessed here.

Dr. Covassin is a graduate of  McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and a Ph.D. from Temple University.