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Effects Of Expected Service Life Exposures On The Functional Properties And Impact Performance Of An American Football Helmet Outer Shell Material, David E. Krzeminski

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to gain a greater scientific understanding of the changes in functional material properties and impact performance of an American football helmet outer shell material under expected service life exposures. The research goals are to (i) quantify chemical, physical, thermal, and mechanical degradation of an American football outer shell material under expected environmental conditions and (ii) develop a linear drop test impact protocol to employ expected on-field impact conditions to American football helmet components and a plaque-foam (i.e., shell-liner) surrogate. Overall, a step-wise progression of analysis was demonstrated to concurrently quantify and understand changes in …

Emotional Responses Following Sports-Related Concussion; A Pilot Study With Controls, Eva Keatley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mild traumatic brain injury is associated with new onset emotional symptoms (Caroll et al., 2014; Konrad et al., 2011). This study will address a gap in the literature by examining the relationship between mTBI, autonomic arousal, and emotional symptoms in the acute phase of a concussion in athletes. In this pilot study, skin conduction and heart rate changes in response to emotional stimuli were measured in 25 undergraduate controls. Results indicate that emotional valence of facial expressions did not elicit the expected differential physiological responses as suggested by previous research, but habituation to an acoustic startle over repeated exposures was …

School-Based Concussion Management: Implementation Characteristics Of Student Services Personnel, Jeffrey Garofano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Concussion is an injury that disproportionately affects children and adolescents and has the potential to negatively impact school performance. Currently, a significant proportion of youth with concussion go unreported due to a lack of effective concussion surveillance procedures. Additionally, many individuals who have daily contact with youth (e.g., parents, teachers) lack training in how to assess or manage a concussion. Schools may be the ideal setting to address both of these problems as they have a high level of access to students and employ personnel (e.g., school psychologists, nurses, social workers, counselors) with experience in assessment and intervention. What is …

Test-Retest Of The Impact In A Sample Of Healthy Young Athletes, Amanda Marion O'Brien

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Baseline neurocognitive assessments are recommended to assist with concussion management in athletes, but there is no research available regarding the psychometric properties of the Immediate Post-concussion Assessment & Cognitive Testing (ImPACT), the most widely used assessment tool, in children younger than high-school age despite its assertion that it can be used as young as 11 years old. The purpose of the present study was to determine the two-week test-retest reliability of the ImPACT neurocognitive test in a healthy sample of young athletes. Participants (n=40) included healthy athletes ages 10 through 14 who were asked to complete the baseline ImPACT neurocognitive …

A Clinically Relevant Closed-Head Model Of Single And Repeat Concussive Injuries In The Adult Rat Using A Controlled Cortical Impact Device, Naseem Jamnia

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Recently, cases of multiple concussions, or mild traumatic brain injury, in athletes have received increased attention. Compared to single concussion (sTBI), repeat concussions (rTBI) can produce significant long-term consequences and increased risk for neurodegenerative disease. However, mechanisms underlying this difference are poorly understood and are best elucidated using an animal model. Closed-head models of rTBI have been developed in mice and juvenile rats, but few have been developed in the adult rat. To the best of our knowledge, there is no closed-head model using a commercially available device, including the Controlled Cortical Impact (CCI) device.

We developed a clinically relevant …

Can Wearing Headgear Decrease Symptoms Of Concussions Among Soccer Players?, Dustin Payne

Graduate Theses

No abstract was provided.

Effect Of Duration Of Play On Injury Rate In Men's And Women's Ncaa Sport, John Craig Harwood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Injury rates increase with added athletic exposures. Mental and physical fatigue is potentially a component of this increase. However, large scale exposure-related injury trends by injury type, sport and sex are scarce. Consequently, the aim of this thesis was to determine whether injury rates are higher later in games and whether these rates vary with respect to sport, injury type and sex. NCAA injury data collected by the Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention indicate that relative injury frequency increases in subsequent periods and this increase is uniform across sports. Subsequent period relative injury frequencies were greater in …

Coaching And Concussions: Prevention, Education, And Perspective, Colby J. Felts

Honors Thesis

The large participation of players and coaches in football has made it one of the most popular sports in America. Concussions have specifically gained national attention in football due to frequent, high impact collisions. A concussion injury poses a unique threat in high school football because of the developing adolescent brain and high participation numbers. Additionally, lack of medical personnel to diagnose concussions at the high school level imposes a legal duty on the coaches. The thesis develops a recommended plan of action for directors of Iowa high school football to assist in preserving the future of the sport. A …

The Impact Of Educational Materials On Collegiate Student-Athletes’ Knowledge Of Sports Related Concussions, Ryan Johnson

Graduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of three different types of concussion education materials for collegiate athletes and to evaluate knowledge transfer. Three different types of educational materials were used to educate the athlete. The athlete completed a pretest, completed an educational module, and then completed a posttest. Two weeks later the athlete completed a retention test. A total of 51 subjects participated in the study. The subjects were evaluated on a pretest, posttest, and retention test. Data were analyzed based on an independent t-test to compare pretest scores between athletes who have been previously concussed …

Physical Therapy Management For A Female Student Athlete Post- Concussion: A Case Report, Matthew Johnson

All Capstone Projects

Background and purpose: The purpose of this case report is to describe vestibular, oculomotor, and cervical interventions that were theorized to improve the function and decrease symptoms typically seen in the post-concussion population.

Case Description: The patient was a 16 year old female who was status post concussion due to head trauma during gymnastics routine. Symptoms included short term memory loss, fatigue, drowsiness, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, headaches, visual disturbances, and neck pain.

Outcomes: Patient was seen for 7 treatments over the course of 6 weeks which mainly focused on oculomotor training, vestibular training, and cervicogenic relief. Outcomes were consistent with …

Physical Therapy Management Of A 16 Year Old Female With Vestibular Symptoms Following Suspected Concussion: A Case Report, Gina Tassione

All Capstone Projects

Background: Post concussion syndrome has become more common in adolescents involved in school related sports. Management of dizziness and imbalance is challenging after concussion; vestibular rehabilitation has been shown to reduce symptoms and improve balance.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe and implement appropriate interventions for a patient with suspected post concussion syndrome. A combined approach using targeted physical therapeutic exercise as well as functional tasks were evaluated and assessed.

Case description: The patient was a 16 year old Caucasian female who presented to the clinic with a physician order to evaluate and …

Concussion Education In High School Athletes, Nathan A. Birno, Larson Davick, Kyle Oostra

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines concussion education in high school athletes. Specifically, it examines how educationally beneficial a concussion presentation is for high school athletes. The study examined eighteen-year-old participants from two Minnesota high schools participating in Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) sanctioned spring sports. A presentation on concussion definitions, signs/symptoms, and adverse effects was presented to the participants. A pre and posttest questionnaire was used to evaluate participants’ baseline knowledge on concussion related topics and their knowledge gained after hearing the presentation. Data was analyzed via a comparison of the mean score differences using a paired t-test of within group …

Factors Predicting Return To Play In Sports-Related Concussion: An Empirical Evaluation, Douglas R. Polster

Theses and Dissertations

Sports-related concussion and its subsequent management have become a top priority within the sports medicine research spectrum. In order to properly understand the complex nature of concussion management, multiple aspects of the injury were explored including the psychobiological nature of the injury, risk for further injury, diagnostic concerns, and return to play decision making. While much research has been dedicated to these areas, one in particular, return to play, is the focus of this current research study. To date, there has not been a method for accurately predicting return to play time after an athlete has sustained sports-related concussion. In …

Event Related Potentials In A Two Stimuli Auditory Oddball Task In Concussed College Athletes: A Linguistic Component Replication Study, Christopher Anthony Roosmalen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Concussions affect an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million individuals annually and can result in persistent symptoms and cognitive impairments in attention and memory. Concussions are a rising health concern especially in concussion management. Event Related Potentials (ERP) may more accurately assess cognitive recovery making better return to play decisions. In 2013, Sanchez found no significant difference between concussed athletes and non-concussed individuals in the in amplitude of the P300 ERP component using an auditory oddball task consisting of 2 different consonant, vowel (CV) syllables. Because participants were instructed to maintain a mental and verbal count of the target stimuli, a …

Morphology Of Brain Sulci Trabeculae And Its Effect On Brain During Impacts, Sharlin Anwar

Dissertations and Theses

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an intracranial injury caused by direct contact or non-contact head impacts to the brain. TBI is a major problem that accounts for high incidents of hospitalizations each year. Thus, it is important to understand and predict the occurrence of TBI in an impact. It has been shown that the subarachnoid space (SAS) trabeculae play an important role in damping the effect of an impact, thus reducing the injuries. However, the influence of sulci parameters and the sulci trabeculae in TBI due to impact is unexplored. Studies have shown that inclusion of sulci in brain models …

Evaluation Of Linear And Nonlinear Postural Stability Measurements Following Concussion, Kelsey Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sport related concussions affect nearly 1.6 to 3.8 million athletes annually in the United States. A large number of these athletes suffer from postural instability following concussion. Postural control assessment has become a recommended tool to determine readiness to return to play. Measurement of postural control through the use of center of pressure (CoP) variables may provide a sensitive evaluation following concussion and throughout recovery. Purpose: To evaluate a unipedal and bipedal quiet stance protocol consisting of linear and nonlinear CoP measurements with varying durations in a concussed population throughout recovery. Methods: Thirteen NCAA Division I Collegiate Football players (age: …

Could It Be A Brain Injury? : Difficulty In Identifying Clients With Brain Injury In Psychotherapeutic Work, And Best Means Of Clinically Supporting Clients With Possible Brain Injury, Sarah E. Gordon

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study explored the experiences of brain injury survivors as clients in psychotherapy in order to learn whether mental health professionals are properly screening for brain injuries, the factors that may inhibit mental health professionals from screening, the factors that may inhibit clients from disclosing their histories of brain injuries; to identify the psychotherapeutic needs specific to clients living with brain injuries; and to identify the best means of serving this client population. Nine adult brain injury survivors, ranging in age from 29-70, answered nine openended research questions during one of three focus groups. One participant was interviewed individually. Participants …

Does Knowledge Of Concussion Symptoms Influence An Athlete's Self-Report Of History Of Concussion Across Age Groups?, John Pfirman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if an athlete's self-report of a history of concussion would increase if they are provided with information about concussions.

Study Design: This study used a group design pre-test information group and a post-test information group matched for age.

Methods: Prior to cognitive testing, the athletes were divided into an experimental and control group. The experimental group received information about concussions before taking the cognitive test. The control group did not receive concussion information before cognitive testing. Both groups completed a questionnaire following testing that asked: "Based on your experience here today, …

Predicting Protracted Recovery From Sports-Related Concussion Using Computerized Neurocognitive Test Scores And Symptom Cluster Scores, Amanda Sepulveda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: A previous study showed that symptom evaluation, in conjunction with computerized neurocognitive testing, improved predictions of protracted recovery in a group of male high school football players. The determination of prognosis following sports-related concussion can be used to facilitate return-to-play and academic decision making in concussion management.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend previous research in determining the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of computerized neurocognitive test scores and symptom cluster scores in predicting protracted recovery following sports-related concussion.

Study Design: Systematic replication, Cohort study (prognosis)

Methods: 30 concussed collegiate athletes were followed …

Neurocognitive Patterns, Symptom Clusters, And Premorbid Factors That Predict Protracted Recovery From Concussion In Females, Sarah Pulaski

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Concussion is an increasingly diagnosed injury that affects individuals of all ages. Although the underlying cause is unknown, research has demonstrated that females who sustain a concussion experience longer recoveries. Existing research has documented a relationship between age, gender, post-concussive headache and mental health conditions, and recovery; however, limited research has investigated the relationship between premorbid clinical variables and recovery. Research on post-injury neurocognitive declines and recovery has also demonstrated varied findings. Moreover, dizziness has been identified as significantly predictive of prolonged recovery, but no studies have investigated the effect of premorbid headache conditions on the development of dizziness. The …

History Of Concussion And Current Functional Movement Screen Scores In A Collegiate Recreational Population, Jordan M. Dorrien

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: 1.6-3.8 million concussions occur annually related to sport.¹ Although neurometabolic alterations in the brain last 7-10 days following a concussion, an increased Cortical Silent Period (CSP) has been found to persist after 19 months.^2,3 Further, movement impairments have been noted years after injury.⁴ The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) assesses mobility and stability in the body.⁵ The purpose of this study was to assess if FMS scores correlate to history of a concussion in healthy college club sport participants. Methods: Health history and FMS score were collected on 55 participants (38 male, …

Determining The False Positive Rate Of A Concussion Battery In Healthy Division I Collegiate Athletes, Caitlynn S. Hellwig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Context: Athletic participation accounts for 1.6-3.8 million concussions, or mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) every year in the United States. Accurate assessment and diagnosis of concussions is critical to protect athletes from further injury. The Fourth International Conference on Concussion in Sport Consensus Statement recommends a multifaceted concussion assessment which includes symptom inventories, postural stability assessment, and neurocognitive testing. The accuracy of each test is vital in correctly diagnosing concussions. The Balance Error Scoring System (BESS), Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC), and Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) are among the most commonly used assessment tools by NCAA athletic …