Concussion Rehabilitation Research
A recent article in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) suggests that physical activity following concussion (in youth) is better than rest.
The study itself examined symptoms for PPCS (persistent post concussion syndrome) a month after the concussion and found that the children who had some physical activity within seven days had fewer symptoms than those who had no physical activity. For those of us who have worked with brain injury and concussion for many years this would seem to challenge current recommendations that kids have no symptoms before they return to play.
While this is a useful research tool that researchers and people like myself will look at, a closer examination of the study shows that we still don’t know what brings a reduction to some, but not to others. In some ways it supports the common sense view that one should start slow on the road to recovery. What it should not be taken to mean is that a return to “full contact” without medical clearance is in any way a good idea.
What is encouraging is to know that concussions and traumatic brain injuries are increasingly studied and of interest to researchers, which leads to hope that over time better and better diagnosis and treatment will follow.
