Performance on auditory, vestibular, and visual tests is stable across two seasons of youth tackle football

ABSTRACT

Objective: Few studies have tracked neurologic function in youth football players longitudinally. This study aimed to determine whether changes in tests of auditory, vestibular, and/or visual functions are evident after participation in one or two seasons of youth tackle football.

Study Design: Prospective cohort study.

Subjects and Methods: Before their 2017 and/or 2018 seasons, male tackle football players (ages 7–14 yrs) completed three tests that tend to exhibit acute disruptions following a concussion: (1) the FFR (frequency-following response), aphysiologic test of auditory function, (2) the BESS (Balance Error Scoring System), a test of vestibular function, and (3) the King-Devick, a test of oculomotor function. We planned to repeat these on all subjects at the end of each season.

Results: Performance on neurosensory tests was stable, with no changes observed in FFR or King-Devick and a slight improvement observed in BESS performance across each season. Performance was also stable over two years for the subjects who participated both years. Across-season test-retest reliability correlations were high.

Conclusions: In the absence of concussion, young athletes’ performance on the FFR, King-Devick, and BESS is stable across one or two seasons of youth tackle football.

KEYWORDS:

• Concussion
• children
• sports
• athletes
• neurosensory function

Disclosure of interest

Supported by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and the Knowles Hearing Centre. The authors report no conflict of interest.

Notes

1. https://usafootball.com/resources-tools/coach/practice-guidelines/. Last accessed online 12-20-2018.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Knowles Hearing Centre;Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago;