Collision avoidance strategies between two athlete walkers: Understanding impaired avoidance behaviours in athletes with a previous concussion.

BACKGROUND

Individuals who have sustained a concussion often display associated balance control deficits and visuomotor impairments despite being cleared by a physician to return to sport. Such visuomotor impairments can be highlighted in collision avoidance tasks that involves a mutual adaptation between two walkers. However, studies have yet to challenged athletes with a previous concussion during an everyday collision avoidance task, following return to sport.

RESEARCH QUESTION

Do athletes with a previous concussion display associated behavioural changes during a 90°-collision avoidance task with an approaching pedestrian?

METHODS

Thirteen athletes (ATH; 9 females, 23 ± 4years) and 13 athletes with a previous concussion (CONC; 9 females, 22 ± 3 years, concussion <6 months) walked at a comfortable walking speed along a 12.6 m pathway while avoiding another athlete on a 90º-collision course. Each participant randomly interacted with individuals from the same group 20 times and interacted with individuals from the opposite group 21 times. Minimum predicted distance (mpd) was used to examine collision avoidance behaviours between ATH and CONC groups.

RESULTS

The overall progression of mpd(t) did not differ between groups (p > .05). During the collision avoidance task, previously concussed athletes contributed less when passing second compared to their peers(p < .001). When two previously concussed athletes were on a collision course, there was a greater amount of variability resulting in inappropriate adaptive behaviours.

SIGNIFICANCE

Although successful at avoiding a collision with an approaching athlete, previously concussed athletes exhibit behavioural changes manifesting in riskier behaviours. The current findings suggest that previously concussed athletes possess behavioural changes even after being cleared to returned to sport, which may increase their risk of a subsequent injury when playing.