top of page
in-the-library-2023-11-27-04-59-46-utc.jpg

Improvement in Symptoms and Cognitive Performance in a High School Football Player with Multiple Concussions

Matthew Antonucci1, 2*, Chris M. Sass1, 2 and Brian J. Sass1, 2

1 Plasticity Brain Centers, United States

2 Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies, United States

Background: A 30 year-old, active, male professional basketball player in “good health” was experiencing slowness, lower extremity posterior compartment tightness, decreased balance, mild sadness, anxiety, irritability, trouble sleeping, fogginess, and “feeling off”. He exhibited dysmetria of rightward saccades, inability to maintain steady gaze-holding, and decreased pursuit gain. Posturographic measurements demonstrated decreased stability, and dramatic anterior shift in center of pressure. Graded symptom severity was a 25/138. Cognition was scored at 26/30. Trails A and B had scores of 37.5 sec and 58.3 sec respectively. Static and Dynamic visual acuity were both 20/15.

Methods: A four-day, multi-modal program of neurological exercises was administered three times per day, for one hour per session. Each session consisted of electrical somatosensory stimulation, neuromuscular reeducation exercises, vestibular rehabilitation exercises, off-vertical axis rotation, and eye exercises.

Results: At the end of four days of treatment there was reduction in symptoms (- 84%), accurate saccades in all directions, normal gaze-holding, smooth pursuits, improved stability, normalization of center of pressure, increased in visual acuity (+10%), decrease in Trails A and B time (-56%; -64%), and improved concentration (+12%).

Conclusion: Multi-modal, intensive programs of neurological exercises may be a viable method to improve neurological performance in healthy individuals. The authors suggest further investigation into multi-modal, intensive approaches to performance enhancement in healthy individuals.

Keywords: p

Cognition, Vestibular Rehabilitation, Neurorehabilitation, concussion, TBI

Conference: International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: TBI and Neurodegeneration, Orlando, Florida, United States, 10 Dec - 14 Dec, 2015.

Presentation Type: Poster Presentation

Topic: Case Reports for Poster Presentation

Citation:

Antonucci M, Sass CM and Sass BJ (2015). ABSTRACT: IMPROVEMENT IN SYMPTOMS AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER WITH MULTIPLE CONCUSSIONS. Front. Neurol. Conference Abstract: International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: TBI and Neurodegeneration. doi: 10.3389/conf.fneur.2015.58.00051
Received: 30 Oct 2015; Published Online: 02 Nov 2015.

Footnotes:

1 Plasticity Brain Centers, United States

2 Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies, United States

Correspondence: Dr. Matthew Antonucci, Plasticity Brain Centers, Orlando, Florida, United States, mantonucci@carrickinstitute.com

bottom of page