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Updated: Jun 3, 2026
A Neuroscientific Approach to the Examination of Concussions in Student-Athletes
Published on: December 8, 2014
The chronic effects of concussion on gait
Douglas N Martini1, Matthew J Sabin, Sarah A DePesa
1Neurotrauma Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 61801, USA.
Objective:
To examine the effects of concussion on gait patterns of young adults with and without a history of concussion during single- and dual-task paradigms.
Design:
Cross-sectional evaluation.
Setting:
A research laboratory.
Participants:
Persons with (n=28; mean, 6.32y postinjury) and without (n=40) a concussion history.
Intervention:
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures:
A battery of gait analyses during single- and dual-task conditions. Normalized velocity, step length, stride width, number correct from cognitive task, time in single-leg stance, and time in double-leg stance were the variables of interest. Gait was analyzed using an electronic walkway system, and the Brooks visuospatial cognitive task was used to index cognition.
Results:
Data analyses using multiple 2-way repeated-measures analyses of variance and correlations indicated that participants with a history of concussion spent significantly more time in a double-leg stance and significantly decreased time in a single-leg stance and had slower gait velocity. There also was a significant negative correlation between number of concussions and time in single-leg stance and positive correlations between number of concussions and time in double-leg stance and double-stance percent.
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that persons with a history of concussion adopt a more conservative gait strategy.
