Abstract
ObjectiveTo assess the safety of supervised exercise (SE) in acute sport related concussion (SRC), and explore its influence on recovery.BackgroundPrevious guidelines for the management of SRC have suggested complete physical and cognitive rest until asymptomatic, while he 2017 Berlin consensus statement now suggests return to light activity after 24–48 hours. The influence of early exercise on recovery following SRC remains unclear, and there is little evidence regarding its safety or efficacy.Design/methodsRetrospective chart review of 124 patients with SRC who presented to a university sports neurology clinic within 30 days of injury between September 2016 and January 2017. Symptomatic patients who initiated SE within 16 days of injury were compared to those who did not undergo SE or initiated SE later than post-injury day 16 using Cox regression. The regression model controlled for multiple covariates including age, sex, history of previous concussions, injury severity, relevant co-morbidities, and other treatments received.ResultsNo serious adverse events were observed in the early SE group. Furthermore, early SE was associated with earlier return to sport (hazard ratio = 2.35, p = 0.030), and the early SE group had fewer days from SRC until clearance for return to sport (mean 26.5 ± 11.2 days vs 35.1 ± 26.5 days, p = 0.020). There also was a non-significant trend toward fewer asymptomatic days in the early SE compared to non-early SE groups (mean 16.7 ± 7.1 days vs 22.4 ± 22.5 days, p = 0.054).ConclusionEarly SE performed in the acute symptomatic stage of SRC was safe and was associated with earlier return to sport.
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call