Initial investigation of kinesiophobia as a predictor of functional reaction time one year after concussion.

Abstract

The relationship between post-concussion kinesiophobia and clinical and functional reaction time (RT) beyond clinical recovery remains to be elucidated. College-aged participants with (n=20) and without (n=20) a concussion history completed patient-reported outcomes, and RT tasks. Kinesiophobia, symptoms and RTs were compared using t-tests. Linear regressions were performed to determine if kinesiophobia predicted RT measures and dual-task cost. The concussion history group reported higher scores (p<0.01) for all patient-reported outcomes. We observed significant single-task RT differences between groups (p=0.013) such that those without a concussion history (m=0.51s±0.08) were faster (m=0.59s±0.12). There were no clinical or dual-task RT differences between groups (p>0.05). Kinesiophobia significantly predicted single-task RT (R2=0.22). Kinesiophobia should be considered when measuring RT.