An 8-Week Neuromuscular Training Program After Concussion Reduces One-Year Subsequent Injury Risk: A Randomized Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND: Existing data suggest that after returning to sports post-concussion, athletes are at an increased risk of sustaining a subsequent injury. Exploring methods that may reduce injury risk following successful post-concussion return-to-play may lead to new treatment approaches. HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: Our purpose was to examine the efficacy of a neuromuscular training (NMT) intervention on acute, time-loss sport-related injury over the subsequent year relative to standard-of-care among adolescent athletes, using a prospective randomized clinical trial design. We hypothesized the hazard of injury over the year after concussion RTP would be greater for those randomized to standard-of-care relative to those randomized to the NMT intervention. METHODS: Twenty-seven youth athletes were assessed initially post-concussion (median=7; interquartile range [IQR]=5-10 days post-concussion) and following return-to-play clearance (median=40, IQR=15-52 days post-concussion). After return-to-play clearance, they were randomly assigned to NMT intervention (n=11, mean=14.7±1.7 years; 36% female; Table 1) or standard-of-care (n=16, mean=15.3±1.8 years; 44% female; Table 1) groups. The intervention (duration=8 weeks; frequency=2x/week) included guided strength, landing, and stability exercises with landing stabilization focus. Standard-of-care received no recommendations. Randomization strata included age and sex. For the subsequent year, athletes prospectively completed a monthly log documenting sport-related injuries and the number/hours of organized sport competitions. Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT03917290. RESULTS: During the first year after post-concussion return-to-play clearance, time-loss sport-related injuries were more common among standard-of-care relative to neuromuscular training intervention (75% vs. 36%). After adjusting for the randomization strata (age and sex), the hazard of subsequent injury in the standard-of-care group was 3.56 [95% CI=1.11, 11.49, p=0.0334] times the hazard of subsequent injury in the neuromuscular training intervention group. Sport participation was similar between neuromuscular training intervention and standard-of-care groups during the year-long monitoring period (median=12 [IQR=2.6, 32.1] vs. 15.6 [IQR=3.5, 105.9] hours of organized sports/month; p=0.55). The incidence of injuries was 10.2 per 1,000 competitive exposures [95% CI: 3.7 to 28.4] in the standard-of-care group compared to 3.4 per 1,000 competitive exposures [95% CI: 0.9 to 13.4] in the NMT intervention group. CONCLUSION: A NMT intervention initiated after post-concussion return-to-play clearance provided significant efficacy in reducing time-loss sport-related injuries over the subsequent year. NMT interventions may be feasibly applied by sports medicine clinicians as a part of return-to-play protocols after concussion to minimize injury risk. Given the relatively small sample size, the findings should be considered preliminary until further definitive trials can be conducted within different geographical locations and/or age groups.