Date of Award

2013-01-01

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Speech-Language Pathology

Advisor(s)

Anthony P. Salvatore

Abstract

The Wii Board Basic Balance Test has served as a useful tool for assessing balance in concussion management. In the event that an athlete is concussed, baseline data will be useful when managing a concussion. In cases where baseline data is not available, having normative data is useful to refer to in order to make appropriate return-to-play decisions. To date, normative data on the Wii Board Basic Balance Test is not available. Purpose: This study will compare the performance of concussed and nonconcussed individuals on the Wii Basic Balance Test. Method: A between subject design between the two groups of participants is used. The nonconcussed sample group consisted of 84 college students, 53 females and 31 males. The second group consists of 20 concussed participants, 12 males and 8 females. A parametric Univariate Analysis (1 way ANOVA) and a non-parametric Chi-Square test were used to compare between group performances. Results: Statistically significant differences were found between the number of trials completed between groups (F(1,102)=6.475, p=.012, η2=.060) and the difference, in time, required to complete trial 1 on the Wii Basic Balance Test (p<.001). The nonconcussed or normative group completed more trials, in less time than the concussed individuals. Results suggest that normative data on the Wii Basic Balance Test will contribute to the diagnosis and return-to-play decisions for concussed collegiate athletes. Differences found in performance between concussed individuals at Post Concussion test 1(PC1) and the nonconcussed group may be beneficial Wwhen interpreting the results of concussed collegiate athletes at PCI on the Wii Basic Balance Test

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

39 pages

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Vanessa Eileen Fernandez-Vivar

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