Use of the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire - Sport (RESTQ-Sport) and King-Devick Test to Monitor Changes During Recovery of Concussion in an Amateur Women’s Rugby Union Team - Abstract
Objective: To monitor the stress and recovery of players with a concussion in amateur women’s rugby union team over recovery timelines utilising the Recovery-Stress Sport (RESTQ-Sport) questionnaire, King-Devick (K-D) test and Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS).
Methods: A prospective observational study was undertaken following an amateur women’s domestic rugby union club-based team over two years. A K-D test was conducted for any suspected concussion and confirmed concussions were monitored with the RESTQ-Sport, K-D test and PCSS during the concussion recovery.
Result: One training related and nine match related concussions were recorded over the study resulting in a concussion injury rate of 0.3 per 1,000 training hrs and 16.1 per 1,000 match hrs. The post-injury K-D test score was significantly slower than the baseline scores of players with a concussive injury (44.2 ±7.1 s vs. 49.0 ±7.3 s; ?2(1)=6652.4; p<0.0001; t(8)=-8.0; p<0.0001). There was a significant increase in the mean score of the Fatigue scale on day-7 when compared with baseline (2.36 ± 0.49 vs, 1.64 ± 0.88; ?2(1)=4.0; p=0.0469; t
(8)=-2.8; p=0.0040).
Discussion: The K-D test recorded a mean slowing (worsening) of reading time of -4.7 ±1.8 s increasing to -8.8 ±2.6s on day-3 post injury. Players reported fewer symptoms before the K-D test was equal to, or faster than, the individual players baselines.
Conclusion: The RESTQ-Sport and K-D tests were useful tools for the monitoring of individual players stress and recovery and changes of an initial cohort of amateur women’s rugby union participants following a mild traumatic brain injury.