Citation

Gagnon I, Grilli L, Friedman D, Iverson GL. Scand. J. Med. Sci. Sports 2015; 26(3): 299-306.

Affiliation

School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Trauma Center, The Montreal Children's Hospital, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/sms.12441

PMID

25735821

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an active rehabilitation intervention for adolescents who are slow-to-recover after a sport-related concussion. Ten adolescents (three girls and seven boys) seen at the Montreal Children's Hospital Concussion Clinic participated in this case series. Adolescents who were symptomatic more than 4 weeks after the injury were provided with an active rehabilitation intervention (M = 7.9 weeks following injury; range = 3.7 to 26.2 weeks). The rehabilitation program includes gradual, closely monitored light aerobic exercise, general coordination exercises, mental imagery, as well as reassurance, normalization of recovery, and stress/anxiety reduction strategies. The program continued until complete symptom resolution and readiness to begin stepwise return to activities. The primary outcome of the study was evolution of post-concussion symptoms. Secondary outcomes included mood, energy, balance, and cognition. After the intervention, post-concussion symptoms significantly decreased for the group of participants. They also had decreased fatigue and improved mood after 6 weeks of initiating the rehabilitation intervention. This case series shows that postconcussive symptoms and functioning in adolescents following sports-related concussion can be improved after participation in an active rehabilitation intervention. The introduction of graded light intensity exercise in the post-acute period following concussion is safe, feasible and appears to have a positive impact on adolescents' functioning.

Language: en