Modified Gait Support in Adults Three to Eighteen Months After Concussion

Concussion is associated with persistent motor control deficits that may not be detected using standard clinical assessments. This study examined differences in average velocity, average step length, and single- and double-support percentages during gait under increasing task demands in individuals with a history of concussion. Sixty participants aged 18 to 35 years were recruited, including 32 individuals with a concussion within the past 3 to 18 months and 28 healthy controls. Gait data were collected using an instrumented pressure-sensitive walkway across four conditions: single-task and dual-task walking, with and without obstacles. Repeated-measures analyses of covariance were used to assess group and condition effects, with sex as a covariate, which showed a significant group-by-condition effect for step length, single-support percentage, and double-support percentage. These findings identify step length, single-support percentage, and double-support percentage as candidate sensor-derived gait biomarkers for detecting persistent post-concussion motor control alterations. The results directly support the use of pressure-based gait sensing to quantify deficits missed by conventional clinical measures; however, future work is needed to determine whether these features translate to wearable or real-world monitoring systems.