For over 20 years, health experts believed that avoiding physical and mental activity and resorting to bed rest after a brain injury is one of the best path to recovery. Nevertheless, a recent study has found that engaging in light exercise after a concussion helps in faster healing.

Exercise after a brain injury was avoided on the idea that it’s going to decelerate recovery and increase the probabilities of one other concussion, which although rare, could pose serious complications and could possibly be fatal.

These beliefs were overturned after researchers discovered that engaging in light physical and mental activities after the 24-48-hour recovery window of concussion wouldn’t harm so long as it doesn’t worsen the symptoms. In 2017, international return-to-play guidelines for injured sportsmen were modified based on the perspective.

In the most recent study, researchers from the University of Michigan monitored greater than 1,200 college athletes at 30 institutions across the country.

They found the athletes who began doing light exercise inside 48 hours of a concussion were more prone to resolve the symptoms than those that didn’t exercise. Their recovery time was about 2.5 days faster than others.

Athletes who began exercising later, after eight days or more after the injury, were less prone to experience symptom recovery. Even in the event that they get well, they took about five days longer than those that began the exercise early.

The findings also suggest people who find themselves prone to develop persistent concussion symptoms for greater than 4 weeks usually tend to get profit from the early start of exercise.

The researchers caution that the study doesn’t mean getting back to play sooner but sticking to a progressive return-to-play approach. Additionally they advise doing exercises under the supervision of a trained clinician.

“Based on the historical background, the adage ‘the dosage makes the poison’ applies to exercise after a concussion,” said Landon Lempke, the primary creator of the study, adding that aspects akin to having “an excessive amount of, too soon” or “too little, too late” can each be detrimental.

Although the researchers found a transparent positive effect of exercise on the recovery period, they didn’t discover the sort, duration or intensity of exercise that may help.

“For athletes, delaying or selecting to not report your concussion is directly tied to longer recovery in addition to potential negative consequences. So reporting is step one. For healthcare providers, it is vital to remain current on concussion assessment and management practices. Clinicians still use ‘cocoon therapy’ despite known deleterious effects. Our present findings and plenty of other studies indicate exercise might be began before symptoms resolve, if done in a secure and controlled manner as guided by a trained clinician,” Lempke said.

The athletes who do light exercise inside 48 hours of a concussion usually tend to resolve the symptoms than those that don’t exercise.
Pixabay

Published by Medicaldaily.com