Comparison of the Balance Accelerometer Measure and Balance Error Scoring System in Adolescent Concussions in Sports

Background:High-technology methods demonstrate that balance problems may persist up to 30 days after a concussion, whereas with low-technology methods such as the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS), performance becomes normal after only 3 days based on previously published studies in collegiate and high school athletes.Purpose:To compare the National Institutes of Health’s Balance Accelerometer Measure (BAM) with the BESS regarding the ability to detect differences in postural sway between adolescents with sports concussions and age-matched controls.Study Design:Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.Methods:Forty-three patients with concussions and 27 control participants were tested with the standard BAM protocol, while sway was quantified using the normalized path length (mG/s) of pelvic accelerations in the anterior-posterior direction. The BESS was scored by experts using video recordings.Results:The BAM was not able to discriminate between healthy and concussed adolescents, whereas the BESS...