Dual-Task Gait Performance Following Head Impact Exposure in Male and Female Collegiate Rugby Players.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Gait impairments have been well-studied in concussed athletes. However, the sex-specific effect of cumulative head impacts on gait is not well understood. When a cognitive task is added to a walking task, dual-task gait assessments can help amplify deficits in gait and are representative of tasks in everyday life. Dual-task cost is the difference in performance from walking (single-task) to walking with a cognitive load (dual-task).

Purpose

The objectives of this study were to explore the differences between sexes in 1) dual-task gait metrics, 2) gait metric changes from pre-season to post-concussion and post-season, and 3) the dual-task costs associated with gait metrics.

Study design

Cross-sectional study.

Methods

Over two seasons, 77 female athlet

SUBMITTER: Kieffer EE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8975566 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature