Smirl, JonathanEmery, CarolynCarere, Joseph2023-09-262023-09-262023-09-15Carere, J. (2023). Long-term cardiorespiratory, exercise intolerance and autonomic nervous system outcomes following adolescent sport-related concussion (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.https://hdl.handle.net/1880/117097https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/41939Adolescents experience high rates of sport related concussion (SRC) and are neurologically vulnerable. There is a paucity of research examining long-term physiological outcomes following adolescent SRC. This thesis compared cardiorespiratory, exercise intolerance, and autonomic nervous system (ANS) outcomes 5-15-years prior to study enrolment for individuals who sustained an adolescent SRC (SRC), a sport-related musculoskeletal injury (MSK), or played adolescent sport and went uninjured (CON). Data was collected for 156 participants (50 CON; 52 MSK; 54 SRC). Study findings suggest cardiorespiratory fitness and ANS function were generally robust to SRC, though prolonged concussion-related symptoms led to heightened discomfort during physical activity in a small subset of participants. Overall, these findings are encouraging when considering adolescent sport participation. They demonstrate that ANS and cardiorespiratory fitness are generally robust in the long-term to SRC sustained during this important neurodevelopment period. Future research should investigate physiological outcomes in those with persistent symptoms.enUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.Sport-related concussionAdolescentAutonomic nervous systemCardiorespiratory fitnessExercise intolerancePhysiologyLong-term outcomesHealth Sciencesmaster thesis