How can a concussion injury hinder long-term sports performance?

A concussion injury can create a huge array of dysfunctions to the body; ATP (energy) production issues, blood flow issues, joint awareness issues, spatial awareness issues, visual tracking issues, depth perception issues, neck issues and so much more. Whilst some of these dysfunctions may just take time to recover – others may need targeted rehabilitation to get back to an optimal functioning state.

Let’s dive into some of these and explore why your performance may be hindered.

One of the biggest issues that I see with athletes after a concussion injury is unrehabilitated or poorly rehabilitated visual deficits. This can create huge impairments in their performance. Think of sports that require timing and visual precision; UFC, boxing, goal keeping sports, car racing, footy, AFL and in fact – most sports that require catching. If a player’s visual pathways, visual processing or visual perception are delayed, even by the smallest amount this can delay or alter their response to the stimulus and potentially cause large performance errors.

For example, a goal keepers’ visual perception might be slightly off – this could be the difference whether they block the goal or not. A boxer’s visual reaction might be .25 of a second slower, this could alter their ability to block and react efficiently which could be the difference that exposes them to a hit. A football players depth perception might be slightly out, meaning they will have a much harder time of recognising where the ball is when it gets close to them - this could make them drop a sitter. These things can significantly impair the performance of any high level or professional athlete.

Not only can a concussion hinder your athletic performance and judgement, but it can also predispose you to injuries – particularly of the lower limb. After a concussion injury your joint kinematics can be altered, your centre of mass perception can be altered, and your joint position awareness can be decreased. Not only does this mean that your body has a poor understanding of where it is but it is also slower to react to changes in joint movement. Think of a football player suddenly changing direction in the split of a second – your knee and ankle needs adequate feedback of where it is landing and how it is moving so that it can react and stabilise appropriately to avoid injury. If it doesn’t do this then ligaments and soft tissue structures can be damaged.

Every concussion injury requires a comprehensive assessment, especially if you are a high level or professional athlete that requires optimal mechanics and precision for performance.