RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NEUROCOGNITIVE REACTION TIME AND INCIDENCE OF CORE OR LOWER EXTREMITY SPRAIN OR STRAIN

• The relationship between neuromuscular factors and injury susceptibility is currently a focus of prevention research • Prolonged reaction time (RT) may be a factor that increases susceptibility to sprains and strains • Errors in judgment or in a loss of coordination during complex movement patterns are likely causes of injury • Slower ImPACT TM RT has been shown to be associated with non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries 1 • ImPACT TM neurocognitive testing has been shown to be a reliable method to examine RT 2 • Incidence of lower extremity (LE) injury is greatest among sports that involve contact or a high jump rate 3 • The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between ImPACT TM RT and core or LE sprain or strain for athletes participating in high-risk sports for the occurrence of such injuries