The Use of a Visual Motor Test to Identify Lingering Deficits in Concussed Collegiate Athletes

Context: 1.6 to 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur annually. Athletes who have suffered a concussion but are symptom free and have returned to baseline on conventional tests may not necessarily be recovered from the effects of the concussion. The premature return to play of an unrecovered athlete may increase the risk of a subsequent concussion. Measurement of upper-limb visual motor coordination has identified lingering deficits following concussion and so it may provide clinicians with a more sensitive means of tracking recovery. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if a visual motor coordination test would identify lingering deficits in a concussed population of collegiate student-athletes who have returned to baseline on conventional assessments when compared to healthy controls. Design: Prospective cross-sectional. Setting: The biomechanics laboratory of a large southeastern university. Participants: 13 recently concussed intercollegiate student-athletes, and 13 matched, healthy, control participants. Intervention(s): Each group completed two testing sessions on a visual motor exam. Main Outcome Measure(s): Average score, visual quadrant reaction time, simple visual reaction time and movement time. Results: There was no group interaction in A* score, quadrant response time, SVRT reaction time and SVRT movement time. There was a significant improvement in A* score, quadrant response time, SVRT reaction time and SVRT movement time in both groups between the two sessions. Conclusions: There appears to be no deficit in the visual motor coordination of recently concussed student-athletes after they have recovered according to the standard assessments. The visual motor coordination exam may not provide a useful means of tracking recovery following concussion, due to a substantial practice effect. Key Words: Concussion, visual motor, coordination, Dynavision, deficits, reaction time