Introduction

Sports-related concussion is a traumatic brain injury, often seen after linear or rotational forces transmitted to the brain. A concussion is a traumatically induced, typically short-lived disturbance of brain function, caused by a complex neuro-metabolic pathophysiological process. The resulting disruption of normal cerebral metabolic homeostasis is associated with an imbalance between energy supply and demand, and a period of increased vulnerability to further brain injury. There appears to be a significant range in tolerance to head impact forces between individuals, and there is no agreed minimum biomechanical threshold that will result in the clinical features of concussion.