RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The effect of exercise on motor performance tasks used in the neurological assessment of sports-related concussion
JF British Journal of Sports Medicine
JO Br J Sports Med
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine
SP 1011
OP 1013
DO 10.1136/bjsm.2007.041665
VO 42
IS 12
A1 A G Schneiders
A1 S J Sullivan
A1 P R McCrory
A1 A Gray
A1 S Maruthayanar
A1 P Singh
A1 P Ranhotigammage
A1 R Van der Salm
YR 2008
UL http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/42/12/1011.abstract
AB Sports-related concussion is assessed using both cognitive and motor performance tasks. There is limited understanding of how exercise affects these measures. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of moderate-intensity exercise on three selected measures of motor performance.A repeated measures design was used to compare baseline motor performance scores with post-exercise scores with an exercise intervention modelled on the physiological demands of a team sport. 30 physically active subjects performed timed motor performance tasks: Finger-to-Nose (FTN), Tandem Gait (TG) and Single Leg Stance (SLS). The tasks were administered twice pre-exercise and twice post-exercise.FTN, TG and SLS demonstrated high test–retest reliability (ICC values >0.8). 15 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise caused a significant improvement in FTN (T2 = 2.66 (SD 0.38), T3 = 2.49 (0.32); p<0.001) and TG (T2 = 13.08 (2.84), T3 = 12.23 (2.22); p = 0.001), but not in SLS (T2 = 5.94 (4.99), T3 = 5.91 (5.54); p = 0.507).Improvement in the performance of motor tasks after exercise has implications for the immediate assessment of sports-related concussion, given that measures of motor performance are utilised in concussion assessment instruments.