The journal of headache and pain
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Multicenter Study
A multicenter, longitudinal survey of headaches and concussions among youth athletes in the United States from 2009 to 2019.
Chronic headaches and sports-related concussions are among the most common neurological morbidities in adolescents and young adults. Given that the two can overlap in presentation, studying the effects of one on another has proven difficult. In this longitudinal study, we sought to assess the relationship between chronic headaches and concussions, analyzing the role of historic concussions on chronic headaches, as well as that of premorbid headaches on future concussion incidence, severity, and recovery. ⋯ A history of concussions was a significant contributor to headache burden among American adolescents and young adults. However, those with chronic headaches were not more likely to be diagnosed with a concussion, despite presenting with more severe concussions that had protracted recovery. Our findings not only suggest the need for conservative management among youth athletes with chronic headaches, they also indicate a potential health care gap in this population, in that those with chronic headaches may be referred for concussion diagnosis and management at lower rates than those with no such comorbidity.