Date of Award

5-2014

Degree Type

Report

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Kinesiology and Health Science

Committee Chair(s)

Dennis Dolny

Committee

Dennis Dolny

Committee

Breanna E. Studenka

Committee

Trek Lyons

Abstract

The NeuroCom® VSR Sport stability evaluation test (SET) protocol was designed to identify postural control deficits in athletes who have sustained a concussion. The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of the NeuroCom® VSR Sport SET protocol in non-concussed Division I collegiate female soccer players. A secondary purpose of this study was to determine whether participants displayed a learning effect when tested using the SET protocol across three days. A repeated measures design was used, testing participants on days 1, 7, and 8. Nineteen participants (20.05 ± 1.26 years old) from Utah State University’s women’s soccer team completed data collection. Participants were not excluded based on history of lower extremity injury, concussion, or current illness if it did not affect participation in normal soccer activities. The VSR Sport force plate and NeuroCom® Balance Manager® software was used to complete the SET. The SET protocol instructions were followed, with the modification of all single-leg stances performed on the right leg. Test-retest reliability was calculated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and typical error. An ICC of > .75 was considered clinically acceptable. Learning effects were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance and pairwise comparisons. Composite score ICC values ranged between .56 - .66, indicating moderate clinical reliability. ICC values by condition ranged from .16 - .71. Small to moderate typical error values were found. A significant learning effect was found between days 1 and 8 for both the tandem foam stance and the composite scores. The results indicate that the SET protocol has similar reliability to the reported reliability of the balance error scoring system (BESS).

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