Browsing by Author "Carere, Joseph"

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    Long-term cardiorespiratory, exercise intolerance and autonomic nervous system outcomes following adolescent sport-related concussion
    (2023-09-15) Carere, Joseph; Smirl, Jonathan; Emery, Carolyn; Brassard, Patrice; Doyle-Baker, Patricia
    Adolescents experience high rates of sport related concussion (SRC) and are neurologically vulnerable. There is a paucity of research examining long-term physiological outcomes following adolescent SRC. This thesis compared cardiorespiratory, exercise intolerance, and autonomic nervous system (ANS) outcomes 5-15-years prior to study enrolment for individuals who sustained an adolescent SRC (SRC), a sport-related musculoskeletal injury (MSK), or played adolescent sport and went uninjured (CON). Data was collected for 156 participants (50 CON; 52 MSK; 54 SRC). Study findings suggest cardiorespiratory fitness and ANS function were generally robust to SRC, though prolonged concussion-related symptoms led to heightened discomfort during physical activity in a small subset of participants. Overall, these findings are encouraging when considering adolescent sport participation. They demonstrate that ANS and cardiorespiratory fitness are generally robust in the long-term to SRC sustained during this important neurodevelopment period. Future research should investigate physiological outcomes in those with persistent symptoms.