Does concussion history affect softball pitch recognition, swing timing, and swing decision making in collegiate softball players?

Abstract

Concussions can affect an athlete’s cognitive and physical performance. The negative effects of concussion can linger beyond symptom resolution and can result in reduced sport performance and increased risk of injury upon return to play. The effect of concussion history, including time since concussion and number of concussions, on sport performance is not well understood. The purposes of this study were to examine the effects of concussion history on softball batting measures, such as pitch recognition, swing timing, and swing decision making, and to compare a computerized reaction time (RT) test to a sport-specific RT test. A cross-sectional study design was used to evaluate softball batting measures among collegiate softball players. Eighteen collegiate softball players from across Ontario were recruited to participate. Participants were divided into two groups: those with previous concussion (n = 7; mean age, 20.7 years; mean time since last concussion, 3.9 years) and those without (n = 11; mean age, 20.4 years). Pitch recognition, swing timing, and swing decision making were based on participants responses to pre-recorded pitching videos. Pitch recognition, swing timing, and swing decision making were similar between groups. There was not a significant correlation between the computerized RT and swing RT. These results suggest that collegiate softball players with less than three concussions perform similarly to those without concussion for softball cognition and swing timing when tested an average of 3.9 years post-concussion.