The Association Between the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test and Time to Recovery in Adolescent Athletes: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background

The BCTT can assess for exercise intolerance following concussion. This study examined the association between a first attempt BCTT result and time to recovery in a sample of Canadian adolescents with SRC.

Methods

Data from 855 adolescents were extracted between January 2016 and January 2019 from the database of Complete Concussion Management Inc. Participants performed their first BCTT between 10 and 21 days after SRC and scored 7 on the PCSS at intake. Hierarchal linear regression assessed the association between the BCTT result and days to recovery adjusting for participant, injury and assessment characteristics.

Results

Failing a first attempt BCTT was associated with 13 increased days to recovery when compared to a pass result (=13.173, 95% CI=8.977-17.369). The BCTT alone explained 4% of the variation in recovery time (R2 change= 0.04).

Conclusion

Clinicians should use a range of variables, including the BCTT when assessing for time to recovery.