Cranial strain patterns associated with concussions

Abstract

Context: Concussions can cause cognitive impairment, somatic symptoms, and behavioral changes. Symptoms may vary in severity, depending on the degree of traumatic force. Due to the biomechanical nature of this trauma, cranial somatic dysfunctions may commonly be seen in patients with concussion. Objective: To determine whether patients were more likely to have nonphysiologic cranial somatic dysfunctions than physiologic cranial somatic dysfunctions after sustaining a concussion. Methods: College athletes who had a concussion based on the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive test were evaluated by a physician within 1 week of the injury. Patients were evaluated for somatic dysfunctions of the cranium. Cranial somatic dysfunctions were documented; test scores and force vectors were compared with the type of strain pattern using SPSS, with P