Is It All in Your Head? Placebo Effects in Concussion Prevention

James Smoliga, C M Bleakley, Alan Pearce

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Sports-related concussions (SRCs) are a major health issue in athletes of varying ages, ability levels, and sports. Concerns over the short- and long-term consequences of SRCs have incentivized a wealth of products and policies aimed at reducing SRC risk. Research suggesting the effectiveness of such interventions at reducing SRCs has facilitated their adoption by sports organizations and, in some cases, product commercialization. However, the body of SRC mitigation research is almost entirely devoid of placebo or sham groups, which raises important questions about the true clinical effectiveness of these interventions. This Current Opinion explores the plausibility of placebo effects within the scope of SRC prevention, describes why the lack of placebo/sham groups in the current body of literature is problematic, and provides recommendations for including placebo/sham groups in future SRC research.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-17
Number of pages17
JournalSports Medicine
Early online date7 Jan 2025
DOIs
Publication statusPublished online - 7 Jan 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

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