Health and Disability

"Exercise within seven days of injury was associated with nearly half the rate of persistent post-concussive symptoms, or those that last beyond a month," said principal investigator Roger Zemek, MD, FRCPC, who directs the clinical research unit at Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and serves as Associate Professor in the departments of pediatrics and Emergency Medicine and Clinical Research Chair in Pediatric Concussion at the University of Ottawa. He said the findings echo some previous, smaller studies calling into question the benefit of prolonged physical rest following an acute concussion, particularly exceeding three days.

"This is the first large-scale study to provide support for the benefits of early exercise on symptom recovery following acute pediatric concussion, shifting away from conservative rest towards more active physical rehabilitation recommendations," Dr. Zemek said. "We definitely don't want patients resuming any activity that could put them at risk of re-injury, like contact sports drills or games, until they are cleared by a doctor," he said, but he added that light aerobic activity like walking, swimming or stationary cycling might emerge as a beneficial recommendation after further study.

More research is urgently needed to confirm the study's findings and to determine the best timing for return-to-play following youth concussions, Dr. Zemek said. In addition to lessening long-term concussion symptoms, he said, re-introducing exercise sooner after injury could help reduce the undesired effects of physical and mental deconditioning.