The chronic effects of concussion on gait

Concussion has a well-defined, acute effect on motor control with alterations in gait documented up to thirty days post injury. There is a dearth of research examining the chronic effects of concussion on gait. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of concussion in the gait patterns of young adults with and without a history of concussion during single and dual task paradigms. Individuals with (n=28, mean 6.32 years post injury) and without (n=40) a concussion history completed a battery of gait conditions during single and dual-task conditions. Normalized velocity, step length, stride width, number correct from cognitive task, time in single leg stance, and time in double leg stance were the variables of interest. Gait was analyzed using a GAITRite Electronic Walkway system and the Brooks visuospatial cognitive task was used to index cognition. Data analysis was assessed with multiple two-way, repeated measures ANOVAs and correlation analyses. The current investigation found that individuals with a history of concussion spent significantly greater time in double leg stance, significantly decreased time in single leg stance and had slower gait velocity. There was also a significant negative correlation between number of concussions and time in single leg stance and a positive correlation between number of concussions and time in double leg stance double stance percent. These findings suggest that individuals with a history of concussion adopt a more conservative gait strategy, perhaps to reduce the risk of further injury