Concussion Care Isn’t Just for Athletes Anymore, and That’s a Problem

When most people think about concussion care, they think about athletes.

But what about dancers, musicians, and performers?

New research is starting to highlight a major gap: many performing arts students face similar concussion risks—without the same structure, support, or return-to-play (or performance) protocols that athletes receive.

In fact, researchers found that many of these students are navigating head injuries without clear guidance, which can lead to prolonged recovery and increased risk of reinjury.

That’s starting to change.

A new “return-to-performance” framework is being developed to help guide performing artists through recovery—mirroring the step-by-step approach long used in sports medicine. The goal is to safely progress individuals back to full participation while accounting for both physical and cognitive demands.

But even with better frameworks, one challenge remains:

How do you confidently assess where someone is in their recovery?

That’s where objective data becomes critical.

Having a way to quickly measure balance and cognitive function—and track changes over time—can help remove guesswork and support more informed decisions, whether you’re working with athletes or other active populations.

As concussion care continues to expand beyond traditional sports settings, one thing is clear:

The need for clear protocols—and reliable, objective tools—is only growing.

👉 Read the full article to explore how this research is shaping the future of concussion care.