The understanding of the concept of 'rest' in the management of a sports concussion by physical therapy students: a descriptive study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate physical therapy students' understanding of the concept of rest following a sport concussion and to ascertain if this understanding changes following a lecture based on current best practice concussion knowledge. DESIGN: Pre-post observational survey. SETTING: University classroom setting. PARTICIPANTS: A cohort of 118 (40 male, 78 female) physical therapy students participating in volunteer sports medic training. RESULTS: Participants provided 320 (pre) and 350 (post) responses depicting activities which should be restricted following a concussion. The responses were classified into three rest-related categories: 'Physical rest', 'Cognitive rest' and 'Mixed' (a combination of physical and cognitive rest). Pre-lecture, approximately 74% of the student's responses were categorized as Physical rest, and 25% under Mixed. There was a shift in the response pattern post-lecture, with 96% of the responses falling in the Mixed category. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study highlight a lack of understanding of the concept of cognitive rest in concussion management among trainee sport medics. The need for wider dissemination of this concept as recommended by the recent consensus statement on sports concussion is indicated.