Objective: To investigate the effects of a collegiate ice hockey season and the repetitive head impacts (RHI) experienced on the neurologic health using a multifaceted assessment battery. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Research laboratory. Participants: Thirty-six male collegiate club ice hockey players. Independent Variables: Time (preseason, midseason, postseason) and head impact measures (number of impacts, mean linear acceleration). Main Outcome Measures: Athletes wore Smart Impact Monitor (SIM-G) accelerometers throughout 1 season and completed testing at preseason, midseason, and postseason. The battery included a 22-item graded symptom checklist, Standardized Assessment of Concussion, Balance Error Scoring System, Trails A DT: F (2, 78) = 4.65, P = 0.012). Multiple regression analyses identified an association between the overall head impact model and Visual Motor score (R 2 = 0.354, F (2, 29) = 3.698, P = 0.016), whereby increased head kinematics corresponded to higher (better) Visual Motor performance. Conclusions: A season of collegiate ice hockey RHI did not negatively affect multifaceted clinical assessments. Additional investigation is warranted to determine the effect of RHI sustained during collegiate hockey participation later in life.
Gallo et al. (Mon,) studied this question.