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Updated: Sep 8, 2025
Vision Training Methods for Sports Concussion Mitigation and Management
Published on: May 5, 2015
Instrumented Dual-Task Tests Help for Concussion Assessment in Ice Hockey
Frederic Meyer1, Nicolas Baehler, Dario Sciacca
1Author Affiliations: Signal Processing Laboratory 5, Swiss Federal School of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne 1015 (Dr Meyer and Mrs Sciacca, Chabrowski, and Ionescu); and Bearmind SA, Lausanne 1015 (Mrs Baehler and Falbriard).
Objective:
This study aims to validate an instrumented dual-task (DT) assessment procedure based on smartphone-embedded sensors. Data processing algorithms were developed to extract relevant features, and ice hockey players were evaluated.
Participants:
In total, 114 Swiss elite ice hockey players.
Design:
Experimental study.
Main Measures:
Participants performed DT tests regularly during the season and within the days following a diagnosed concussion. The DT test consisted of static balance and self-paced walking, combined with counting backward by 3. In total, 265 DT tests were performed, including 38 tests between 1 day and 2 weeks after the 13 diagnosed concussions.
Results:
Cognitive abilities during gait were mainly affected after a concussion. A DT performance metric was defined based on features significantly associated with worsening DT performance after the concussion ( P < .001, effect size d = 1.50). Finally, a model was proposed to estimate the risk of concussion based on a DT test outcome.
Conclusion:
DT assessments can detect residual cognitive impairments even after other clinical symptoms have resolved. These tests offer medical staff objective insights, facilitating informed decision-making during the return-to-play process.
