Browsing by Author "Schneider, Kathryn J"

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    Consequences of Adolescent Sport-Related Concussion and Musculoskeletal Injury: Examining Long-term Impacts on Body Composition and Physical Activity Levels
    (2024-06-11) Leggett, Benjamin T; Emery, Carolyn A; Schneider, Kathryn J; Smirl, Jonathan D; Eliason, Paul
    Sport-related concussions (SRC) may be encumbering injuries and are experienced in high rates amongst Canadian adolescents participating in sport. Little is known of the long-term effects of SRC in how they may affect both physical activity behaviors and body composition as adults later in life. This thesis examined appropriate algorithms to employ when utilizing Actigraphs as objective measures of free-living physical activity behaviors, and then the body composition levels and physical activity levels of adults (ages 18-33) with a 5–15-year history of either SRC or musculoskeletal (MSK) injury relative to uninjured controls (UC). Data were collected for 268 individuals participating through the SHRed Consequences of Concussion cohort study. Analyses displayed that SRC and MSK injury cohorts relative to UC had comparable body compositions, identified through lean mass and fat mass indices, as well as comparable physical activity behaviors, denoted by daily amounts of sedentary time and light, moderate, moderate-to-vigorous, and vigorous physical activity. This demonstrated that those with adolescent SRC or MSK injury history continue to participate in physically active lifestyles as young adults as evidenced by either maintaining and/or acquiring body compositions and participating in physical activities similar to those without injury history. Future research should take a more granular look at long-term sport-related injury through examining persistent concussion symptoms for those with SRC history as well as type/location of MSK injury in an effort to consider the heterogeneity of these injuries.
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    Injury Prevention in Youth Tackle Football
    (2023-09-22) Cairns, Joshua Thomas; Emery, Carolyn Ann; Schneider, Kathryn J; Jordan, Matthew J; Pasanen, Kati; Smith, Julianne D
    This thesis contains two projects that aim to investigate injury and injury prevention strategies in Canadian adolescent tackle football. The first project aimed to examine the current utilization of Neuromuscular Training components (NMT) in tackle football warm-ups and the second project examined adolescent (ages 14-17) tackle football epidemiology. Objectives: 1. To describe the current time spent by adolescent tackle football teams in five key neuromuscular training (NMT) components (aerobic, agility, balance and coordination, strength, and head on neck control) and determine if time in warm-up components differed throughout the season. 2. To describe injury rates, burden, types, mechanisms, and risk factors in adolescent (ages 14-17) community tackle football players in one season. Methods: Teams consented to video-recording of practice and game warm-ups. Video was analyzed using Dartfish tagging software (Dartfish, USA). Validated injury surveillance methods were used during a prospective cohort in a single nine-week competition season for participants aged 14-17. Injury rates (IR), concussion rates (CR), and incidence rate ratios (IRR) were reported based on univariable Poisson regression analyses (offset by player-hours and controlling for cluster by team). Results: Teams spent a median of 456.2 seconds in warm-up prior to sessions and a median time of 275 seconds in active warm-up components. Teams spent more time in some NMT components (aerobic and strength) compared to others (balance, agility and coordination, and head on neck control), however other than aerobic (58%) the use of other NMT components was low (time in NMT components 1-9%). Teams were relatively consistent with component utilization throughout the season. The overall IR was 4.61 injuries/1000 player-hours (95%CI; 3.84 – 5.53) and the CR was 1.20 concussions/1000 player-hours (95%CI; 0.90-1.61). Concussion rates were higher in games (IR=3.86 concussions/1000 player game-hours 95%CI; 2.74 – 5.43) than practices (IR=0.44 concussions/1000 practice player hours, 95%CI;0.25 – 0.75) (IRR=8.82,95%CI; 4.52- 18.27). Previous history of injury in the past 12 months (IRR=1.66,95%CI; 1.07-2.57) and being obese (BMI > 30.00) (IRR=2.55, 95%CI; 1.35-4.84) were associated with higher rates of practice-related injury. Lifetime history of concussion (IRR=1.58, 95%CI; 1.00 – 2.50) and being in the 75th percentile for height (IRR=1.58, 95%CI; 1.19 – 2.18) were associated with higher game-related injury rates, with the former being insignificant and the latter significant. Conclusions: Injury and concussion rates are high in adolescent tackle football. There are opportunities for research examining injury and concussion prevention strategies in tackle football in Canada. Football teams do not engage in NMT warm-up components and there is significant opportunity for implementation of such a prevention strategy in this sport.
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    Is a history of concussions associated with measures of cervical spine, vestibulo-ocular reflex, oculomotor, and dynamic balance in adolescent (ages 10-19) sport participants?
    (2023-09-18) Sick, Stacy Rochelle; Emery, Carolyn A; Schneider, Kathryn J; Frémont, Pierre; Lun, Victor; Eliason, Paul H
    Objectives: To examine the association between previous history of concussion and measures of the cervical spine, vestibulo-ocular reflex, oculomotor, and dynamic balance in adolescent (aged 10-19 years) sport participants. Participants: 1653 adolescents [988 (59.77%) male; 653 (39.50%) females; 12 (0.73%) undisclosed] participating in SHRed Concussions (Surveillance in High school and community to REDuce the risk of Concussion and their consequences). Assessment of Risk Factors: Generalized estimating equations were used to examine the association of clinical outcomes with previous number of concussions (0, 1, 2+). Model covariates included age (years), sex (male/female), baseline symptom severity score (xx/132), and sport type (collision/non-collision). Outcome Measures: Cervical [Range of motion (ROM), flexor endurance (CFE), flexion-rotation test (CFRT), head perturbation (HPT)], vestibulo-ocular reflex [head thrust (HTT), dynamic visual acuity (DVA)], oculomotor (symptom provocation / performance on smooth pursuit, horizontal and vertical saccades, and convergence) and dynamic balance [combined functional gait assessment (C-FGA)]. Results: An association was found between concussions history and clinical outcomes of vertical saccades symptom [OR1 relative to 0: 2.02, (1.09-3.76)] convergence performance [OR1 relative to 0: 2.02 (1.09-3.76)] and errors on CFA [OR2+ relative to 0 -0.14, (-0.58-0.30)]. In addition, the association between concussion history was modified by sex for the CFRT [OR males 1 relative to 0: 0.52 (0.27-0.99)], horizontal saccades symptom [OR females 2+ relative to 0: 4.08 (1.56-10.65)], vertical saccade performance [OR females 2+ relative to 0: 2.25 (1.30-3.92)], and HTT [OR females 1 relative to 0: 2.25 (1.30-3.92)]; OR females 2+ relative to 0: 2.25 (1.30-3.92); OR females 2+ relative to 0: 2.25 (1.30-3.92)]. Conclusion: Differences based on concussion history existed in all clinical domains, with females with a history of concussion(s) typically having poorer outcomes. Future research is needed to better understand the relationship between concussion history and clinical outcomes.