Study: Higher Altitudes, Fewer Concussions

A new report, recently published in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, reveals that high school athletes playing at higher altitudes suffer fewer concussions than those closer to sea-level — the first time research has linked altitude to sports-related concussion. Examining concussion statistics from multiple sports across the nation, with football being analyzed separately, the researchers found a 31-percent decrease in concussion rates among all high school sports played at altitudes of 600 feet and above, while concussion rates for high school football players at these altitudes decreased by 30 percent. While the reasons for the decreases are unclear, one possibility is that “vasogenic edema in the brain leads to increased extravascular water,” the study says. “These two adaptations would also lead to a tighter packaging of the brain with increased blood cell content surrounding the brain.” Click here to read the full article.