Female adolescents demonstrate greater oculomotor and vestibular dysfunction than male adolescents following concussion.
Margot Gray, Julie C Wilson, Morgan Potter and 2 others
PMID 31935640WHAT IT FOUND
Female adolescents tested within three weeks of a sports concussion were more likely to fail near point of convergence and tandem gait tests than males.
No sex differences were found on static balance or gaze stability. These specific deficits may guide early vestibular rehab referral.
Key findings
01Female athletes had an independent association with increased odds of abnormal near point of convergence and tandem gait tests following concussion.
02There were no independent associations between sex and errors on any of the six Balance Error Scoring System conditions.
03There was no significant difference in gaze stability test results between female and male patients.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study is a retrospective analysis of medical charts, so it cannot prove that sex caused the deficits. Patients were seen at a specialized sports medicine clinic, which may represent a more severe injury subset than the general population. The age range was wide (8-18 years), and age itself may have confounded the results. Testing procedures were not standardized across clinicians, particularly for gaze stability and tandem gait. Many outcomes were dichotomous (normal/abnormal), which may have missed subtle differences between groups. The study did not measure recovery time, so it is unknown if these initial deficits persisted or resolved at different rates between sexes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that female patients have worse balance overall. The study found no difference in static balance (BESS) or gaze stability. The deficits were specific to tandem gait and near point of convergence. Additionally, this is an observational study, so it describes differences but does not prove that sex causes these outcomes.