Background Concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), increases risk of brain and musculoskeletal injury after return to play (RTP). Dual-task training options have been suggested as a way to improve neurorehabilitation from concussion, thus reducing the risk of injury with RTP. To begin to evaluate the impact of dual task training on functional restoration, we report the immediate impact of an innovative dual task paradigm (Tango) on neurocognitive and neurosensorimotor symptoms.

Objective Assess within-session impact of Tango on symptoms and postural control.

Repeated measures Immediate impact of Tango (pre v. post session; paired, 2-tailed Student’s t-test)

Setting Community

Patients (or Participants) Adults with persistent concussion symptoms 3+ months after date of injury.

Interventions (or Assessment of Risk Factors) One-to-one Adapted Argentine Tango dance lessons (Tango).

Main Outcome Measurements Primary Outcome Measure: Symptoms Score (Sports Concussion Assessment Tool v3). Secondary Outcome Measures: Postural sway (sway) during quiet standing with eyes closed (30 seconds minimum) measured through center of pressure (COP) calculations of resultant variability, velocity, and complexity (respectively: root-mean-square amplitude, mean velocity, and sample entropy calculated using the increment method).

Results Three participants referred from an Ohio State University concussion clinic underwent 16 one-to-one Tango sessions. When measured immediately before and after each Tango session, improvements were demonstrated in total symptoms score (p=0.001) as well as sway variability (p=0.007), velocity (p=0.013), and complexity (p=0.021). Per session, mean (SD) Tango dose to music per session was 24.2(5.2) minutes and Rating of Perceived Exertion was 9.2(1.4) (Borg scale, 6–20). Rating of Perceived Comfort during postural control testing with eyes closed was 1.1(0.3) (9 point scale, 1 high).

Conclusions Tango is feasible for adults with persistent concussion symptoms to engage in as a dual task activity and may help to improve persistent symptoms as well as postural control. More research is warranted regarding implications of this activity for supporting RTP.