Objective To implement the use of the functional exertional test for concussion and identify normal responses in a healthy population.

Design Prospective observational cohort (pilot) study.

Setting University.

Participants 14 Canadian interuniversity athletes enrolled in and completed the study [female n=8, male n=6]).

Interventions Functional exertional tasks: 1) aerobic exercise, 2) exercises grounded in physical literacy with head movement, 6) multi-tasks combining physical and cognitive components. Independent variables: Successful or unsuccessful completion of the test.

Outcome Measures Symptom exacerbation, heart rate (HR), repetitions, and cognitive scores.

Main Results All 14 participants successfully completed the functional exertional test with no exacerbation of concussion symptoms. The HR of 10 athletes was available for analysis and significant elevation in HR was identified during the exertional tasks compared to rest. The mean differences were: aerobic exercise stage = 18.62 beats per minute (bpm) (95% CI 4.32–32.92; p=0.01), head movement stage = 18.55 bpm (95% CI 2.81–34.29; p=0.02), and multi-tasks stage = 30.11 bpm (95% CI 13.74–46.47; p=0.001).

Conclusions Preliminary findings suggest that the functional exertional test for concussion does not elicit substantial symptom exacerbation, while increasing athletes’ HR during specific tasks with head acceleration, cognitive/sensory stimuli and decision making, and can successfully be completed by a healthy population. Future research will be conducted with a larger healthy population as well as with athletes with concussion to determine if the test is valid for concussion management.