Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport–Amsterdam, October 2022

This is the sixth international consensus statement from the Concussion in Sport Group, based on a conference held in Amsterdam in October 2022 and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2023. It is written for healthcare professionals who care for athletes at any level, and it is meant to be read alongside ten systematic reviews and a separate methods paper.

It updates the group's definition of sport-related concussion and organizes care around a series of steps from recognition and prevention through removal from play, office assessment, rest and exercise, referral, rehabilitation, recovery, return to learning and sport, long-term effects and retirement. It also introduces revised sideline tools (CRT6, SCAT6, Child SCAT6) and new office tools meant for use from 72 hours after injury onward (SCOAT6, Child SCOAT6).

The panel moves away from strict rest: after a short period of relative rest, early light activity and symptom-limited aerobic exercise are encouraged, and cervical and vestibular rehabilitation is recommended for lingering dizziness, neck pain or headache. Athletes whose symptoms persist past four weeks should be evaluated across several domains, preferably by a team, and the statement names athletic trainers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and sports chiropractors among the clinicians who may belong to that referral network.

For prevention it supports rules that limit body checking in youth ice hockey and contact in American football practice, mouthguards in youth ice hockey and neuromuscular warm-up programs in rugby. It treats advanced imaging, fluid biomarkers and genetic testing as research tools rather than routine clinical tests.