NFL Funds Concussion Study Led by UNC-Chapel Hill

The NFL is making plays against the effects of sports-related concussions by funding an international study to be led by researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill.

According to Dr. Johna Register-Mihalik, a co-principal investigator at UNC, that study will focus on therapeutic interventions and return-to-play protocols.

“A group of international experts got together and thought about how can we better solve this problem of concussion or contribute better to the management and treatment, and that’s really the genesis of this project,” she offered.

“It was really born out of that collaborative spirit, and we’re really excited to be involved in these different partners who have different areas of expertise but also really allow us to look at concussions as well as the way to best manage and treat concussions.”

Over 200 concussed athletes from schools and sports leagues that include Elon University and New Zealand Rugby will be enrolled in the three-year study.

Reigster-Mihalik explained that having access to such a large pool of athletes will allow for pioneering research on concussion rehabilitation strategies.

“There’s two major takeaways, really: understanding the most effective way and the effectiveness of this international return-to-play protocol that really is considered best practice — it really has never been studied in a large, systematic way across multiple levels of play,” she cited.

“The other […] is this idea of earlier intervention within the context of that return to play.”

A think tank was formed by the NFL in 2014 to address sports-related concussions with assistance from doctors and scientists in multiple countries.

Recommendations from that think tank led the NFL to spend approximately $2.6 million on the study that will be managed by Register-Mihalik and her colleagues.

“We’re just really excited to be part of that next frontier in such a collaborative way from this piece of NFL funding that generated that collaborative spirit from professional to college to high school levels, to really find a good way to translate these effective management and treatment strategies into practice,” she relayed.

Register-Mihalik also noted that the recent media focus on athlete safety is a boon for researchers working to mitigate the effects of sports-related concussions.

“The world, in terms of concussion, is really moving at a fast pace right now, and it’s exciting to see that because the language has really changed in terms of really trying to figure out what’s an active way to deal with this injury, both clinically and from sort of an educational standpoint,” she claimed.

“I think it’s just really important to keep up with that, and I think the media helps do that, certainly, because it’s really a hot topic that’s out there.”

Other participants in the study include the Canadian Football League, North Carolina Central University, the University of Alberta and six Wisconsin high schools.

Photo by UNC Athletic Communications.

NFL Funds Concussion Study Led by UNC-Chapel Hill

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