Collegiate Adapted Athlete Baseline Performance on the Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening.

Context: Concussion assessment in adapted and parasport athletes has continued to evolve with growing considerations in parasports, but little is known about vestibular/ocular performance assessment in this sample.

Objective: To examine baseline performance on the Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening (VOMS) in collegiate adapted athletes. A secondary objective was to investigate the role of sex, history of concussion, and functional classification on baseline measures.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: University adapted athletics facility.

Patients or other participants: Fifty-four collegiate adapted athletes (age = 21.19 ± 2.6 years) from multiple institutions' adapted athletics programs across the United States.

Main outcome measure(s): Adapted athletes completed a baseline VOMS assessment while at the host university for in-season competition and tournaments. Independent variables were sex, history of concussion and functional classification (1.0-4.5 at 0.5 intervals). Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening performance consisted of pretest symptoms (headache, dizziness, nausea, and fogginess) and postitem (eg, smooth pursuits, saccades) symptom provocation or change from pretest scores.

Results: A proportion of 50.9% reported zero symptom provocation on the VOMS, with 72% having no pretest symptoms. No sex differences were noted on the VOMS (P > .05); however, adapted athletes with a history of concussion reported greater VOMS provocation on horizontal saccades (P = .008) than those with no history. Higher functional classifications (2.0-4.5) reported greater provocation on horizontal saccades (P = .010), horizontal and vertical (P = .043 and .048) vestibular/ocular reflex, and vestibular/ocular reflex cancellation (P = .036) than 1.0-1.5 athletes.

Conclusions: Our findings provide context for baseline VOMS performance in collegiate adapted athletes and identifying modifiers at baseline. Special consideration is warranted on vestibular and oculomotor assessment in adapted and parasport athletes with a history of concussion and higher functional classifications.