Abstract
Objectives
Head injuries, including concussion, are a concern in many sports. Current validated
concussion assessment protocols such are problematic with suggestions that an oculomotor
examination, such as the King–Devick (K–D) test, could be included. This research
explores the role of the K–D test in snowsport concussion research.
Design
Experienced snowsport participants were recruited through a western Canadian resort
(n = 75).
Methods
Participants completed a questionnaire that included their history of prior serious
head impacts and were assessed via the computer-based K–D test in English.
Results
Of the 75 participants, 23 (69%) reported at least one previous serious head impact.
English was the not primary language for seven participants.
Independent sample t-tests revealed: significant differences in the K–D average saccade
scores for those who had broken their helmets, with or without a serious head injury
(̄ = 171.23, SD = 12.9) and those who had not broken a helmet (̄ = 186.61, SD = 20.18; t (70) = − 2.53, p = .014, twotailed) and significant differences in the K–D time for those whose native
language is English (̄ = 47.9, SD = 6.3) and those where English was not their first language (̄ = 53.3, SD = 7.4; t(73)=.48, p = .04), but no significant difference for their saccade velocities: English (̄ = 183.64, SD = 20.0) versus those where English is a second or third language (̄ = 188.44, SD = 20.1; t(70) = −.56, p = .576).
Conclusions
For subjects whose first language is not English, such as in many snowsport resorts,
the K–D test may need to be conducted in a person’s native language to provide a valid
assessment based upon the time to complete the task.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 23, 2018
Accepted:
August 16,
2018
Received in revised form:
July 7,
2018
Received:
April 5,
2018
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
