Citation

Hecimovich M, King D, Dempsey AR, Murphy M. J. Sci. Med. Sport 2018; 21(10): 1004-1007.

Affiliation

School of Physiotherapy, The University of Notre Dame Australia, Australia; Medical Department, Peel Thunder Football Club, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Sports Medicine Australia, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jsams.2018.03.011

PMID

29610049

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Sport-related concussion (SRC) research has focused on impaired oculomotor function. The King-Devick (K-D) test measures oculomotor performance and is reported to identify suboptimal brain function. The use of the K-D test in Australian football (AF), a sport involving body contact and tackling, has not been documented. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability and diagnostic accuracy of the K-D test on a sub-elite AF team.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study METHODS: In total, 22 male players (19.6+2.3 years) were tested and re-tested on the K-D test. Those suspected of having a SRC secondary to a significant head impact were tested. Randomly selected additional players without SRC were assessed for comparison.

RESULTS: There were observable learning effects between the first and second baseline testing (48 vs. 46s). The ICC for the first and second baseline tests was 0.91. Post-match test times were longer than the baseline times for players with SRC (n=7) (-1.9s; z=-5.08; p<0.0001). Players tested with no signs of SRC (n=13) had an improvement in time when compared with their baseline score (3.0s; z=-4.38; p<0.0001). The overall sensitivity was 0.98, specificity 0.96, and a kappa of κ=0.94. The positive likelihood ratio was 11.6 and the positive predictive value was 89.0%.

CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the use of the K-D test due to its test-retest reliability, high sensitivity and specificity, and fast and simple use that is ideal for sports medicine professionals to make quick judgement on management and playability.

Copyright © 2018 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Brain injury; Diffuse axonal injury; Neuropsychological tests; Visual motor coordination