Aerobic exercise following concussion reduces risk of persistent symptoms by 48 percent in adolescents.
“Sport-related concussion is a public health problem, particularly in adolescents.
Male and female adolescent athletes (aged 13–18 years) presenting within 10 days of sport-related concussion were randomly assigned to individualized sub-symptom threshold aerobic or stretching exercise at least 20 min daily, for up to 4 weeks after injury.
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On survival analysis, controlling for sex, site, and mean daily exercise time, patients assigned to aerobic exercise were more likely to recover within 4 weeks after injury compared with those assigned to stretching exercise, with a 48% reduced risk of persistent post-concussive symptoms (hazard ratio for stretching vs aerobic exercise of 0·52 [95% CI 0·28–0·97], p=0·039).
This multicenter study found that early treatment with sub-symptom threshold aerobic exercise safely speeds recovery from sport-related concussion and reduces the risk for persistent post-concussive symptoms, an important result given the impact of delayed recovery on adolescent quality of life."