Response times are greater , gait strategies are less efficient , and postural control deficits are greater in concussed participants compared with healthy controls both immediately and for some period following concussive injury , specifically under divided attention conditions .
Dual task assessment s in some cases were more reliable than single task assessment s and may be better able to detect lingering effects following concussion .
This article is a systematic review of the literature on divided attention assessment inclusive of a cognitive and motor task ( balance or gait ) for use in concussion management .
Associations among self-reported balance problems, post-concussion symptoms and performance-based tests: a longitudinal follow-up study
Purpose : The main objectives of this study were to describe long-term self-reported balance problems  and to explore their associations with post-concussion symptoms and performance-based tests . Method : Prospect i ve study of patients with mild traumatic brain injury ( MTBI ) .  Self-reported balance problems and post-concussion symptoms were measured with the Rivermead Post-concussion Symptoms Question naire at 1 and 4 years after injury . Performance-based tests were performed 4 years after injury and included  posturography , the Dynamic Gait Index ( DGI ) , walking speed tests , and the six-minute walk test . Results : Self-reported balance problems were reported in 31 % of patients 4 years after injury and correlated significantly with post-concussion symptoms . The correlations with performance-based tests varied from ρ = 0.18 to ρ = 0.70 and were strongest for the maximum walking speed test ( ρ = 0.70 ) and a dual-task test ( ρ = 0.43 ) . The DGI had a considerable ceiling effect . Conclusions : Balance problems were long-term consequences of MTBI in one third of this study sample . Self-reported balance problems correlated with post-concussion symptoms and some of the performance-based tests . Future research needs to develop and evaluate appropriate rehabilitation strategies that also address the balance problems . Implication s for Rehabilitation Balance problems may persist several years after a mild traumatic brain injury . We need to develop and evaluate appropriate rehabilitation strategies that also address the balance problems
Response times are greater , gait strategies are less efficient , and postural control deficits are greater in concussed participants compared with healthy controls both immediately and for some period following concussive injury , specifically under divided attention conditions .
Dual task assessment s in some cases were more reliable than single task assessment s and may be better able to detect lingering effects following concussion .
This article is a systematic review of the literature on divided attention assessment inclusive of a cognitive and motor task ( balance or gait ) for use in concussion management .