The effect of concussion history on gait patterns during dual task gait examinations
Date
2016
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Introduction: Sport related concussions are estimated to occur between 1.6 and 3.8 million times in the United States annually. Individual’s with a history of concussion demonstrate impairments in their gait patterns and these impairments have been identified in periods of time such as 30 days, 60 days, and even an average of 6.3 years after the individual’s concussion. Dual task gait examinations have demonstrated their ability to highlight when a concussed individual has gait pattern impairments. Common pattern changes seen when examining gait are center of mass (COM) sway as well as variations in stride length, step width and an increased time in the double support stance. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in postural control between participants with a history of 0 concussions and a history of more than 1 concussion and to determine if there was a significant change in postural control or cognitive response accuracy for individuals with a history of concussion during dual task gait examinations. Methods: Participants were grouped by self-reported history of concussion and performed quiet stance postural control examinations with and without cognitive tasks, and gait examinations with and without cognitive tasks. Results: We found no significant differences between groups of individuals with a history and without a history of concussion when examining their quiet stance variables and their gait variables. Significant changes in gait patterns (conservative gait strategies) were identified between single task trial and dual task trial gait variables when the participants were combined into one group, regardless of presence of concussion history. Conclusion: An individual’s history of concussion had no significant influence on their postural control during dual task gait examinations, however the addition of a dual task paradigm demonstrated the prioritization of cognitive task over motor task.