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Updated: Sep 20, 2025
A Multi-Modal Approach to Assessing Recovery in Youth Athletes Following Concussion
Published on: September 25, 2014
Lower Extremity Somatosensory Function Throughout Concussion Recovery: A Prospective Cohort Study
Landon B Lempke1, Matthew C Hoch, Jarrod A Call
1UGA Concussion Research Laboratory, University of Georgia, Athens (Drs Lempke, Schmidt, and Lynall); Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Athens (Drs Lempke, Call, Schmidt, and Lynall); Division of Sports Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, and Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention, Waltham, Massachusetts (Dr Lempke); Sports Medicine Research Institute, University of Kentucky, Lexington (Dr Hoch); and Skeletal Muscle Dysfunction Laboratory, University of Georgia, Athens (Dr Call).
Individuals with concussion show impaired touch sensation and potentially altered pain perception, even after symptom resolution. Knee joint position sense appears unaffected, suggesting specific somatosensory pathways are impacted.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Sports Medicine
- Rehabilitation Science
Background:
- Concussion can lead to persistent balance impairments, possibly due to somatosensory system disruption.
- Direct assessment of somatosensory subsystems in concussion recovery is lacking.
- Understanding these deficits is crucial for effective rehabilitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate somatosensory function in individuals with concussion compared to healthy controls.
- To assess touch sensation, pressure pain threshold, and joint repositioning at acute and asymptomatic stages post-concussion.
Main Methods:
- A prospective cohort study involving 24 participants with concussion and matched controls.
- Somatosensory assessments included plantar touch threshold, plantar pressure pain threshold, and knee joint repositioning (PJR) error.
- Statistical analysis used mixed-model ANOVAs and post hoc tests.
Main Results:
- Concussion participants required significantly more force for plantar touch sensation at both acute and asymptomatic stages (large effect sizes).
- Plantar pressure pain thresholds showed medium effects, indicating altered pain perception in the concussed group.
- Knee joint repositioning accuracy improved over time, with minimal differences between groups, suggesting preserved proprioception.
Conclusions:
- Concussion is associated with significant deficits in plantar touch sensation and altered pressure pain perception.
- Knee joint position sense appears to remain intact post-concussion.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the causal mechanisms of these somatosensory alterations.
