Long-term cardiorespiratory, exercise intolerance and autonomic nervous system outcomes following adolescent sport-related concussion
Date
2023-09-15
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Abstract
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.
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Keywords
Sport-related concussion, Adolescent, Autonomic nervous system, Cardiorespiratory fitness, Exercise intolerance, Physiology, Long-term outcomes
Citation
Carere, J. (2023). Long-term cardiorespiratory, exercise intolerance and autonomic nervous system outcomes following adolescent sport-related concussion (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.