Concussions have the same effects regardless of the location of the head injury, according to researchers from the Colorado School of Public Health.
Dawn Comstock led the study, which analyzed data from a recent study of high school sports-related injuries that occurred during the 2008-2009 and 2012-2013 seasons. The analysis revealed that around 45 percent of the 2,526 football-related injuries studied resulted from hits to the head during practices and games.
Most concussions were sustained at the side of the head, the back of the head and the top, according to the study.
Researchers found that, regardless of the injury's location, a concussion produces the same symptoms.
"We can't predict which athletes are more likely to have more severe symptoms or worse outcomes based only on how their injuries occur," Comstock told Reuters. "Every clinician needs to take every concussion very seriously."
Further analysis revealed athletes who sustained concussions on the top of their heads were more prone to loss of consciousness than those who suffered from concussions on other parts of the head.
For every 10,000 games, an average of five to six players suffered concussions, the study stated.
This study was published in the Aug.1 issue of Pediatrics.
