Reaction time deficits incurred by Cumulative Mild Head Injury (CMHI) and Post-Concussion Symptoms (PCS) between contact and non-contact sport players: A prospective study

Abstract

This prospective study investigated possible differential effects on reaction time and post-concussion symptoms contrasting contact and non-contact sport athletes. Participants were a purposive sample of football (soccer) players (n = 15) and volleyball players (n = 15) from South Africa. They completed a reaction time measures pre-season and post-season. The data were analysed using the Fisher’s Exact Test and descriptive statistics. The study findings indicate a significantly higher sequential reaction time scores on the California Computerised Assessment Programme (CalCAP) for football players post-season compared to pre-season, and that some post-concussive symptoms (PCS) persisted after an initial concussion in the football-playing group or post-season. Results for ‘improved’ symptomology indicated that there was a small, significant difference between the football and volleyball groups post-season.