The effect of an exertional field-test on sport concussion assessment tool 5 subcomponents in University rugby and wrestling athletes: A pilot prospective case series

Effect of Mild and Moderate Exertion on the Sideline Assessment of Concussion: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE

Identify the effect size of mild and moderate levels of exertion on common sideline concussion assessment tool scores in healthy adolescent athletes.

DESIGN

Three arm randomized controlled trial.

SETTING

High school training rooms.

PARTICIPANTS

Forty-seven healthy adolescents who participate in school sports and have not had a concussion within the past month.

INTERVENTIONS

Participants performed the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5 (SCAT5) and Vestibular Ocular Motor Screen (VOMS) at rest. Participants were randomized to perform No Exertion (n = 16, 15-minute seated rest), Mild Exertion [n = 16, 50%-55% of heart rate (HR) max for 15 minutes on a treadmill], or Moderate Exertion (n = 15, 70%-75% of HR max). Participants then repeated the SCAT5 and VOMS immediately after a 2-minute cool down.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Effect size of change after exertion.

RESULTS

Few differences were seen after mild and moderate levels of exertion. In the combined sample, there was a small increase in the number of modified balance error scoring system errors [d = -0.17 (-0.52, 0.19)], a medium degree of improvement in symptoms [d = 0.38 (0.01, 0.74)], and a small degree of improvement in cognitive scores [d = 0.20 (-0.16, 0.55)] after exercise. No differences on VOMS testing were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

The SCAT5 and VOMS seem to be consistent measures even after mild and moderate levels of exertion (HR <75% of age-appropriate maximum). A future study should aim to identify the effect of maximal exertion.

Effects of Landing Impacts and Running on Balance Error Scoring System Performance

CONTEXT

The Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) is the most commonly used balance test during concussion assessment; however, the test has known limitations related to fatigue. Jumping and landing along with running are common athletic activities that adversely affect postural control. However, the effect of neither subexertional running nor jumping and landing tasks on the BESS is known. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a brief exercise bout of running or jumping on BESS performance.

DESIGN

We recruited 52 recreationally active participants who were divided into 3 groups: (1) Drop Jump (Landing), Treadmill Running (Run), and Control.

METHODS

All participants performed a preintervention BESS test and were then randomly assigned to a group. The jumping group performed 10 drop jumps from a 50 cm box, 30 seconds between trials, the running group performed a 3-minute treadmill run, and the control group sat quietly for 5 minutes. All participants then completed a second BESS test. The primary analysis was a 2 (time) by 3 (group) repeated-measure analysis of variance with sex as a covariate.

RESULTS

There was a significant interaction (F = 7.396, P = .002). On post hoc, there was a significant improvement (lower) score in the Control group (PRE: 13.9 [4.5]; POST: 10.5 [2.9]; P = .019, d = 0.89) but no significant differences in either the running (P = .579) or landing (P = .849) groups.

CONCLUSIONS

A relatively brief exercise intervention resulted in participants failing to improve a subsequent BESS assessment, whereas control participants who rested for 5 minutes committed fewer (3.4) errors. These results suggest that sports health care providers should recognize that even low- to moderate-intensity brief exercise can result in a failure to improve with repeat BESS administration.

Youth Preseason Performance on the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5 Across Multiple Sports

OBJECTIVE

To examine preseason Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5 (SCAT5) performance of adolescent sport participants by environment (in-person/virtual), sex, age, concussion history, collision/noncollision sport participation, and self-reported medical diagnoses.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

SETTING

Canadian community and high-school sport settings.

PARTICIPANTS

Three thousand eight hundred five adolescent (2493 male, 1275 female, and 37 did not disclose; 11- to 19-year-old) sport participants.

ASSESSMENT OF RISK FACTORS

Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5 administration method (in-person/virtual), sex (male/female/unreported), age (years), concussion history (0/1/2/3+), collision/noncollision sport participant, and self-reported medical diagnoses [attention deficit disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, headache/migraine, learning disability, and psychiatric disorder (ie, anxiety/depression/other)].

OUTCOME MEASURES

Preseason SCAT5 outcomes including total number of symptoms (TNS; /22), symptom severity score (SSS; /132), Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC; /50), and modified Balance Error Scoring System (mBESS; /30).

RESULTS

Multiple multilevel linear or Poisson regression complete case analyses adjusting for clustering and robust standard errors, with β-coefficients (95% CI) back-transformed to indicate an increase/decrease in SCAT5 subdomains when relevant for clinical interpretation. Virtual (V) performance was associated with fewer symptoms reported [TNS Difference V-IP = -1.53 (95% CI, -2.22 to -0.85)], lower SSS [-2.49 (95% CI, -4.41 to -0.58)], and fewer mBESS errors (IP) [-0.52 (95% CI, -0.77 to -0.27)] compared with in-person. For every one-year increase in age, more symptoms [TNS = 0.22 (95% CI, 0.01-0.44)], higher SSS [0.52 (95% CI, 0.01-1.06)], higher SAC [0.27 (95% CI, 0.15-0.38), and poorer balance [mBESS = -0.19 (-0.28 to -0.09)] were observed. Differences between males and females were also seen across all SCAT5 outcomes. Individuals reporting any medical diagnosis or 3+ concussion history also reported more symptoms (TNS) and higher SSS than those who did not.

CONCLUSIONS

Administration environment, sex, age, concussion history, and medical diagnoses were associated with SCAT5 subdomains and are important considerations when interpreting the SCAT5 results.