Comparison of Rest to Aerobic Exercise and Placebo-like Treatment of Acute Sport-Related Concussion in Male and Female Adolescents.
Barry S Willer, Mohammad N Haider, Itai Bezherano and 4 others
PMID 31377190WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents with sport-related concussion who did daily light aerobic exercise at a heart rate set below the point where symptoms worsened recovered in fewer days than those prescribed relative rest.
Key findings
01Median recovery time was significantly lower in the aerobic exercise group.
02Delayed recovery occurred in 4% of the exercise group, 13% of the rest group, and 14% of the placebo group, but the difference was not statistically significant.
03Daily symptom scores over the first 14 days did not differ significantly between groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was not a randomized trial. The rest group was recruited several years before the exercise and placebo groups, so changes over time could affect the comparison. Sex differed between groups, and the rest group had a smaller proportion of female participants. The study was underpowered to detect delayed recovery, so the 4% rate in the exercise group should not be treated as a proven effect. There was no objective measure of whether rest group participants followed relative rest. The supplied text does not give the actual median recovery days, only that the exercise group was significantly lower.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not include a conflict-of-interest declaration. The publication types indicate NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that aerobic exercise causes faster recovery or that relative rest is harmful. This was a nonrandomized comparison of cohorts recruited at different times, and the delayed recovery difference was not statistically significant.