An Inside Look at Para Sport Concussion Care: Para Sport Health Care Providers' Perspectives

CONTEXT: Para sport athletes experience concussions at a similar rate to athletes without disabilities; however, published concussion tools have limited applicability to diverse athlete populations. OBJECTIVE: To understand health care provider (HCP) concussion management across different para sports and athlete classifications to identify facilitators and barriers influencing the delivery of concussion care.

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✦ The floor

Discussion

Signed responses from readers of the wire.

✦ Clinical Takeaway ✦

Existing concussion assessment tools are not validated for athletes with disabilities; audiologists and hearing specialists working in para sport should not rely on standard concussion protocols and should advocate for adapted, validated tools for this population.

✦ Why It Matters ✦

Concussion protocols routinely include vestibular and auditory assessments, and their poor fit for para athletes — including those with pre-existing hearing or balance conditions — exposes a significant gap in sports medicine and audiological practice.

✦ Key Points ✦

01Qualitative study in Journal of Athletic Training; data from healthcare providers in para sport settings.
02Standard concussion assessment tools are often inapplicable or unvalidated for athletes with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities.
03Providers reported difficulty distinguishing concussion symptoms from pre-existing disability-related symptoms.
04Study calls for development and validation of adapted concussion tools for para sport populations.
05Has direct relevance for audiologists who conduct vestibular/auditory concussion assessments in para athletes.

✦ Claims & Evidence ✦

ClaimEvidenceSupport

Existing concussion assessment tools have limited applicability to athletes with disabilities in para sport contexts.

studysupported

Healthcare providers in para sport lack validated protocols to guide concussion care for athletes with disabilities.

quotesupported

✦ Research metadata ✦

PMID: 42730191
DOI: 10.4085/1062-6050-0502.25.
Journal: Journal of Athletic Training
Publication type: research_article
Evidence level: 5
Population: Para sport healthcare providers managing concussion in athletes with disabilities
Intervention: Qualitative exploration of concussion care practices and tools in para sport

Primary outcomes

Healthcare provider perspectives on concussion assessment tool applicability for para athletes; Identification of gaps and barriers in para sport concussion care

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