The chronic effects of concussion on gait.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effects of concussion on gait patterns of young adults with and without a history of concussion during single- and dual-task paradigms.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional evaluation.

SETTING

A research laboratory.

PARTICIPANTS

Persons with (n=28; mean, 6.32y postinjury) and without (n=40) a concussion history.

INTERVENTION: Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A battery of gait analyses 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 an electronic walkway system, and the Brooks visuospatial cognitive task was used to index cognition.

RESULTS

Data analyses using multiple 2-way repeated-measures analyses of variance and correlations indicated that participants with a history of concussion spent significantly more time in a double-leg stance and significantly decreased time in a single-leg stance and had slower gait velocity. There also was a significant negative correlation between number of concussions and time in single-leg stance and positive correlations between number of concussions and time in double-leg stance and double-stance percent.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that persons with a history of concussion adopt a more conservative gait strategy.