Background: Within the last two decades, attitudes have shifted from considering sports-related concussion as an insignificant minor injury with no long-term repercussions to a potentially serious brain injury garnering attention from media, clinicians, researchers, and the general public.
Objectives: To conduct a case study to determine the underlying cause of persistent issues suspected to be associated with a history of sports-related concussion.
Protocol: Participant A underwent neurophysiological testing following the Neary protocol (assessment of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular variables), comprehensive concussion assessment at a dedicated sports concussion clinic (history, neurological assessment, cervical spine screening, vestibulo-ocular screening, SCAT-5, and exercise testing), referral to a neurologist, structural MRI scan, and referral for specialised assessment at a dedicated dizziness and balance centre.
Results: Despite a history of multiple sports-related concussions, Participant A's persistent symptom reports were associated with peripheral vestibular dysfunction and otolithic dysfunction seemingly unrelated to his concussion history.
Discussion: Lessons from Participant A's case study showed that on-going symptoms that patients may associate with the effects of concussions may instead be due to unrelated causes that share similar symptomology.
Conclusion: This research exemplifies the importance of a multi-disciplinary assessment using a repeated testing protocol.
Keywords: Assessment; Concussion; Persistent symptoms; Sports medicine; Vestibular.