81 Effect of recovery time on SCAT symptoms in law enforcement cadets during boxing training
Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Purpose To examine whether spacing out training days to allow recovery before a boxing tournament impacts Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) symptom scores in law enforcement cadets.Methods Participants were law enforcement cadets from two cohorts: Cohort 1 (n=33, 6 female, age=29±8 years, height=1.8±0.1 m, weight=96.0±24.5 kg) trained for three consecutive days, culminating in a boxing tournament on Day 3. Cohort 2 (n=11, all male, age=29±11 years, height=1.8±0.1 m, weight=89.8±15.8 kg) had three days of recovery before their tournament. SCAT symptoms (total number and severity) were collected pre- and post-tournament. Generalized estimating equations using a negative binomial distribution with a log link function examined the interaction between cohort and time (pre/post) on SCAT scores.Results A significant time-by-cohort interaction was observed for SCAT total number of symptoms (Wald χ²=6.241, p=0.012) and symptom severity (Wald χ²=6.470, p=0.011). In Cohort 1, total number of symptoms increased from pre-tournament (median=0, interquartile range [IQR]=0–1) to post-tournament (median=2, IQR=1–4, p<0.001), and symptom severity scores increased from pre-tournament (median=0, IQR=0–1.5) to post-tournament (median=3, IQR=1.5–8, p<0.001). In Cohort 2, neither total number of symptoms (pre: median=1, IQR=0–3; post: median=2, IQR=0–4, p=0.931) nor severity scores (pre: median=1, IQR=0–5; post: median=3, IQR=0–5, p=0.461) significantly changed.Conclusion Spacing out boxing training sessions with adequate recovery time may reduce the exacerbation of SCAT symptoms following a boxing tournament. These findings suggest that recovery periods are critical in managing symptoms during intensive training involving repetitive head impacts.Funding This work was supported by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs endorsed by the Department of Defense, through the Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program under Award No. HT9425–23-1–0520 and HT9425–23-1–0521. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the DOD.
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Neurology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,839
OpenAlex ID: W4410952242