Performance on auditory, vestibular, and visual tests is stable across two seasons of youth tackle football

Travis White-Schwoch, Jennifer Krizman, Kristi McCracken, Jamie K. Burgess, Elaine C. Thompson, Trent Nicol, Cynthia R. LaBella*, Nina Kraus

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: Few studies have tracked neurologic function in youth football players longitudinally. This study aimed to determine whether changes in tests of auditory, vestibular, and/or visual functions are evident after participation in one or two seasons of youth tackle football. Study Design: Prospective cohort study. Subjects and Methods: Before their 2017 and/or 2018 seasons, male tackle football players (ages 7–14 yrs) completed three tests that tend to exhibit acute disruptions following a concussion: (1) the FFR (frequency-following response), aphysiologic test of auditory function, (2) the BESS (Balance Error Scoring System), a test of vestibular function, and (3) the King-Devick, a test of oculomotor function. We planned to repeat these on all subjects at the end of each season. Results: Performance on neurosensory tests was stable, with no changes observed in FFR or King-Devick and a slight improvement observed in BESS performance across each season. Performance was also stable over two years for the subjects who participated both years. Across-season test-retest reliability correlations were high. Conclusions: In the absence of concussion, young athletes’ performance on the FFR, King-Devick, and BESS is stable across one or two seasons of youth tackle football.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)236-244
Number of pages9
JournalBrain Injury
Volume34
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 28 2020

Funding

This work was supported by the Knowles Hearing Centre;Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago;

Keywords

  • Concussion
  • athletes
  • children
  • neurosensory function
  • sports

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Neurology
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Neuroscience (miscellaneous)

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