The Co-Occurrence of Vestibular/Ocular Motor Provocation and State Anxiety in Adolescents and Young Adults with Concussion.

Vestibular/ocular motor provocation and state anxiety are both independently linked to poor recovery outcomes following concussion. However, the relationship between these two clinical presentations and their co-occurring effects on concussion recovery outcomes is understudied. The purpose was to examine the co-occurring effects of vestibular/ocular motor provocation and state anxiety following concussion.

Minimal Detectable Change Scores and Factors Associated With Dynamic Exertion Test (EXiT) Performance After Sport-Related Concussion.

Background: Factors associated with performance outside of a normative range on dynamic exertion test (EXiT) after sport-related concussion (SRC) remain unknown. This study examined the role of demographic and medical history factors on performance using minimal detectable change (MDC) cutoff scores in athletes being cleared to return to sport (RTS) from SRC.

Hypothesis: Older age, being female, and body mass index (BMI) ≥50th percentile would be associated with worse EXiT performance and with increased likelihood of falling outside the normative MDC score range.

The Role of Body Mass Index on Physical Activity, Symptoms, and Related Outcomes Following Pediatric Concussion.

Objective: To determine the step count and self-reported activity levels for obese and nonobese pediatric patients following concussion and predict self-reported symptoms, quality of life, and psychological health over time.

Study Design: Participants completed the Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS), Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL), and Behavioral Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) at an initial visit (<72 hours), 3-5 days postinjury, 10-18 days postinjury, and 1 and 2 months postinjury. Physical activity data (eg, step count) were collected via a commercial actigraph.

Identifying the 'Miserable Minority' Among Pediatric Patients Following Concussion.

Objectives: To investigate whether there are empirically-detectable subgroups of concussion severity and recovery across three consecutive concussions, as well as to define risk factor and clinical assessment differences across subgroups.

Methods: The present study was a retrospective chart review of 202 adolescents 13.17 ± 1.

Immediate post-concussion assessment and cognitive testing Pediatric (ImPACT Pediatric) change scores and factors associated with performance in patients aged 5-9 years following concussion: Preliminary findings.

Background: Computerized neurocognitive testing is one component of a multidomain assessment of concussion. However, the use of computerized neurocognitive testing has been limited to patients aged 11 years and up, leaving clinicians with few options to evaluate younger children.

Purpose: To examine the change in Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing Pediatric (ImPACT Pediatric) (ImPACT Applications, 2021) scores and factors associated with performance in children aged 5-9 years following a concussion.

The association between continuing to play, clinical domains, and recovery outcomes in collegiate athletes following concussion.

Objective: Continued play following concussion can lead to worse outcomes and longer recoveries compared with athletes who immediately report. This has been well documented in youth athletes, while less attention has been paid to collegiate athletes despite differences in healthcare access, recovery trajectories, and additional pressures to play. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if continuing to play immediately following a concussion influenced clinical outcomes and recovery time in collegiate athletes.

The influence of prior COVID-19 diagnosis on concussion recovery outcomes.

Objective: While the clinical presentations of COVID-19 and concussion are not identical, there is a significant overlap in symptomology (e.g., fatigue, headache) and neurological deficits (e.

Geographic characteristics of sport- and non-sport-related concussions presenting to emergency departments in the United States.

Background: Concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that can be sustained through sport-related and non-sport-related (e.g., motor vehicle accidents, falls, assaults) mechanisms of injury (MOI).

Scoping Review: Reducing Musculoskeletal Injury Risk Factors for Adaptive Sport Athletes Through Prevention Programs.

The purpose of this scoping review was to identify existing strategies to reduce modifiable risk factors for musculoskeletal (MSK) injury in adaptive athletes. Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and CINAHL were searched. Inclusion criteria required studies written in English, samples of adaptive athletes, and evaluation of any injury prevention programs that would reduce risk factors associated with MSK injury.

Comparison of Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening (VOMS) and Computerized Eye-tracking to Identify Exposure to Repetitive Head Impacts.

Introduction: Military service members (SMs) are exposed to repetitive head impacts (RHIs) in combat and training that are purported to adversely affect brain health, including cognition, behavior, and function. Researchers have reported that RHI from blast-related exposure may affect both vestibular and ocular function, which in turn may be related to symptomology. As such, an examination of the effects of RHI on exposed military SMs should incorporate these domains.

Impact of Sex and Pubertal Development on Anxiety in Adolescents After Concussion.

Concussion often results in psychological symptoms, including anxiety. Post-concussion anxiety has been well documented, although much of this research has focused on collegiate athletes. The purpose of this study was to compare (1) anxiety symptoms in concussed and healthy controls over time and (2) to explore sex differences in post-concussion anxiety within the context of pubertal development.

Multidomain Predictors of Protracted Recovery following Concussion Among 5- to 9-Year-Old Patients: A Preliminary Study.

Objective: To determine which components from a multidomain assessment best predict protracted recovery in pediatric patients with a concussion.

Study Design: A prospective cohort of patients aged 5-9 years who presented within 21 days of concussion to a specialty clinic were categorized into normal (≤30 days) and protracted (>30 days) recovery. Participants provided demographic and medical history information, and completed the Child Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-5 symptom report and balance assessment, the Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screen-Child (VOMS-C), and the Pediatric Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing.

Preliminary Baseline Vestibular Ocular Motor Screening Scores in Pediatric Soccer Athletes.

Context: The utility of baseline vestibular and ocular motor screening (VOMS) in high school and collegiate athletes is demonstrated throughout the literature; however, baseline VOMS data at the youth level are limited. In addition, with the recent adoption of the change scoring method, there is a need to document baseline VOMS total and change scores in a pediatric population.

Objective: To document baseline VOMS total and change scores and to document the internal consistency of the VOMS in pediatric soccer athletes.

Racial differences in concussion diagnosis and mechanism of injury among adults presenting to emergency departments across the United States.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between race and concussion diagnosis as well as the association between race and mechanism of injury (MOI) for concussion diagnoses in adult patients (>19 years old) visiting the emergency department (ED).

Methods: A retrospective analysis of patient visits to the ED for concussion between 2010 and 2018, using the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, was conducted. Outcome measures included concussion diagnosis and MOI.

Concussion History and the Emotional and Behavioral Dyscontrol Domains of Health-Related Quality of Life in College Students.

Context: Injury or illness can affect individual perceptions of health status and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Concussion can result in different symptoms, impairments, and functional limitations that have been found to lower HRQOL. Furthermore, concussion is known to influence the emotional and behavioral dyscontrol domains of HRQOL in pediatric populations; however, this has yet to be explored in other populations.

Changes in State and Trait Anxiety Throughout Concussion Recovery in High School- and College-Aged Individuals.

Context: Researchers have indicated that individuals may experience anxiety symptoms after concussion. A potential mechanism for these presentations is shifts in anxiety throughout recovery.

Objective: To examine the levels of state and trait anxiety in individuals after concussion throughout recovery compared with the levels in individuals serving as uninjured matched control participants.

MICK (Mobile Integrated Cognitive Kit) app: Feasibility of an accessible tablet-based rapid picture and number naming task for concussion assessment in a division 1 college football cohort.

Although visual symptoms are common following concussion, quantitative measures of visual function are missing from concussion evaluation protocols on the athletic sideline. For the past half century, rapid automatized naming (RAN) tasks have demonstrated promise as quantitative neuro-visual assessment tools in the setting of head trauma and other disorders but have been previously limited in accessibility and scalability. The Mobile Interactive Cognitive Kit (MICK) App is a digital RAN test that can be downloaded on most mobile devices and can therefore provide a quantitative measure of visual function anywhere, including the athletic sideline.

A deep learning-based approach to diagnose mild traumatic brain injury using audio classification.

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI or concussion) is receiving increased attention due to the incidence in contact sports and limitations with subjective (pen and paper) diagnostic approaches. If an mTBI is undiagnosed and the athlete prematurely returns to play, it can result in serious short-term and/or long-term health complications. This demonstrates the importance of providing more reliable mTBI diagnostic tools to mitigate misdiagnosis.

Exploratory Examination of Knee Self-Efficacy in Individuals With a History of ACL Reconstruction and Sport-Related Concussion.

Context: Knee self-efficacy and injury-related fear are associated with poor self-reported knee function and decreased physical activity (PA) after ACL reconstruction (ACLR). Limited research has explored contextual factors that may influence psychological responses in this population, such as history of sport-related concussion (SRC). After SRC, individuals may experience increased negative emotions, such as sadness and nervousness.

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Docosahexaenoic Acid for the Treatment of Sport-Related Concussion in Adolescents.

The objective was to examine the use of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for the treatment of sport-related concussion (SRC) in adolescent athletes. We hypothesize that participants who intake 2 g of DHA daily will not experience differences in recovery compared with participants who take a placebo. This double-blind, randomized controlled pilot trial was performed in a tertiary pediatric sports medicine clinic from 2013 to 2017 in adolescents (14-18 years) presenting with diagnosed SRC within 4 days of injury.

Epidemiology of Pediatric Gymnastics Injuries Reported in US Emergency Departments: Sex- and Age-Based Injury Patterns.

Background: Despite increasing participation rates in youth gymnastics, the majority of epidemiologic literature focuses on older elite athletes or stratifies athletes by level of competition.

Hypothesis: The authors hypothesized that sex- and age-based patterns in youth gymnastics-related injuries exist, which are otherwise overlooked in an unstratified population.

Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.

Adolescent Perceptions of Technology-Based Sexual and Reproductive Health Services: A Systematic Review.

Technology-based services, including telehealth, text messaging, and the internet are increasingly popular methods for adolescents and young adults (AYA) to access sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and healthcare. This systematic review examined AYA perceptions of privacy and confidentiality of technology-based SRH services. The PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO were systematically searched in May 2021 to capture relevant qualitative or quantitative articles from the past 10 years.

Early Sport Specialization and Past Injury in Competitive Youth Rock Climbers.

Introduction: Sport specialization has been shown to have negative effects on athletes but has not been studied within rock climbing. This study seeks to evaluate the proportion and impact of specialization in pediatric climbers.

Methods: Climbers (ages 8-18 y) were recruited from throughout the United States to complete a 1-time survey regarding climbing experience, training patterns, and injury history.

Epidemiology of Pediatric Basketball Injuries Presenting to Emergency Departments: Sex- and Age-Based Patterns.

Background: There is limited epidemiologic data on pediatric basketball injuries and the comparison of these injuries before and after adolescence and between male and female athletes.

Purpose: To assess common sex- and age-based injury patterns in pediatric basketball players.

Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.