Cognitive and postural precursors of motion sickness in adolescent boxers

•We measured pre-bout and post-bout behavior in adolescent boxers.•Nine of nineteen boxers reported post-bout motion sickness.•Pre-bout behavior differed for boxers who reported post-bout motion sickness.•Pre-bout behavioral data may predict susceptibility to post-bout symptoms.

Athletic head trauma (both concussive and sub-concussive) is common among adolescents. Concussion typically is followed by motion sickness-like symptoms, by changes in cognitive performance, and by changes in standing body sway. We asked whether pre-bout body sway would differ between adolescent boxers who experienced post-bout motion sickness and those who did not. In addition, we asked whether pre-bout cognitive performance would differ as a function of adolescent boxers' post-bout motion sickness. Nine of nineteen adolescent boxers reported motion sickness after a bout. Pre-bout measures of cognitive performance and body sway differed between boxers who reported post-bout motion sickness and those who did not. The results suggest that susceptibility to motion sickness-like symptoms in adolescent boxers may be manifested in characteristic patterns of body sway and cognitive performance. It may be possible to use pre-bout data to predict susceptibility to post-bout symptoms.