Differences in symptom duration and return to sport following sport-related concussion between French-speaking Canadian and European athletes

OBJECTIVES: To examine self-reported sport-related concussion (SRC) symptom duration and return to sport (RTS) timelines across countries and sport demographics in a large international cohort. METHODS: An anonymous survey collected sociodemographic data and concussion history from French-speaking athletes affiliated with the ReFORM IOC Research Center. SRC symptoms and RTS durations were analyzed by geographic origin (Canada, Europe) and a multivariate analysis examined the combined impact of geographic origin, sex, age group (minor, adult), professional status (amateur, professional) and SRC risk (low, moderate, high). RESULTS: < 0.001).The binary logistic regression identified geographic origin (Canada) and sex (female) as significant predictors of prolonged symptom duration (i.e. >14 days) and return to sport (i.e. >20 days), while age group, professional status and SRC risk did not significantly influence these durations. CONCLUSION: SRC recovery times differ significantly by geography and sex in French-speaking athletes. European athletes and males report shorter symptom and RTS durations.