Concussion History’s Impact On Instrumented Bess Scores In Division I Contact-Sport Athletes

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if concussion history has an impact on sway velocity. A concussion injury can disrupt proper functioning of the vestibular system, and chronic disruption of this system can increase the chances of subsequent musculoskeletal or concussive injury. Athletes with a history of concussion injury who present with balance deficits, should be targeted for interventions to decrease the risk of sustaining a musculoskeletal or concussive injury. METHODS: 175 healthy Division I football & men’s lacrosse players (age = 19.8 ± 1.2; ht = 71.9 ± 2.2”; wt = 202.1 ± 33.9 lbs) participated in this study. Players were provided with a brief, 1-on-1, concussion discussion and then answered the questions “have you ever sustained a concussion? If yes, how many?”. All players underwent a balance assessment as part of their preseason screening and were medically cleared to participate in sports. Players performed the BESS test (double leg, single leg, & tandem) on firm & foam surfaces while standing on the VSR SportTM force plate by NeuroCom®. RESULTS: No difference was found between those with and without a previous concussion injury on any of the instrumented BESS stances (Table 1). To further analyze the data, a Spearman Rho correlation determined there was a smaller than typical correlation between number of concussions sustained and sway velocity measurements; double leg firm (rs = 0.02), single leg firm (rs = 0.09), tandem firm (rs = 0.08), double leg foam (rs = 0.01), single leg foam (rs = 0.01), tandem foam (rs = 0.02), & composite (rs = 0.06). CONCLUSION: Concussion history does not appear to have an impact on sway velocity measurements in contact sport athletes. The vestibulospinal system may be resilient to long-term deficits associated with concussion injury. In the absence of individualized baseline data, normative data may be used to determine balance deficits in those with a suspected concussion, regardless of previous concussion history.