Differences in ability to balance and anxiety trends in college athletes – contact vs. Noncontact sports

Abstract

Background: Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) have been shown to affect a multitude of functions throughout the body. Evidence has demonstrated that increased feelings of anxiety and trouble maintaining balance is often affected by a TBI. Hard contact in sports may result in diagnosed concussions, but impacts that do not result in the clinical diagnosis of a concussion can be classified as subconcussive, or below clinical concussion diagnosis. Brain damage as the result of subconcussive contact may induce similar symptoms of an acute TBI that can hinder cognitive and/or physical functioning. Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine if differences exist among athletes in contact vs. noncontact sports, specifically focusing on balance and anxiety. Methods: Sixteen college aged (21.5±1.8) student-athletes (10 contact, 6 noncontact) participated in this study. Subjects completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) self-assessment and the Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction in Balance (m-CTSIB) to measure anxiety and balance, respectively. The m-CTSIB test involved 4 sensory integration balance tests, each lasting 30 seconds (firm surface-eyes open, firm surface- eyes closed; soft surface-eyes open, soft surface- eyes closed). Soft surface balance tests utilized a foam pad. All data was collected in a single, 30-minute session, in which the GAD-7 and m-CTSIB were measured respectively. RESULTS: Based on the results of a Paired Samples T-test, there was a significant (p=0.05) difference between contact and noncontact sports and their m-CTSIB (p=.001). There was no significant difference (p=0.05) between sport grouping and GAD-7 scores (p=.113). Conclusion: Data from this study suggests that contact sport athletes may experience subconcussive trauma more frequently than noncontact sport athletes, leading to a reduced ability to maintain balance. The lack of significance between sport grouping and GAD-7 scores indicate that subconcussive and concussive trauma may affect the brain differently in terms of anxiety. Findings indicate the importance of using balance ability to test trauma in contact sport athletes.