Postconcussion Exercise Volume Associations With Depression, Anxiety, and Dizziness Symptoms, and Postural Stability: Preliminary Findings.
David R Howell, Danielle L Hunt, Jessie R Oldham and 3 others
PMID 34320557WHAT IT FOUND
Concussed patients reporting high exercise volume had lower depression, anxiety, and dizziness scores and faster tandem gait times than those with low volume.
Because this was a secondary analysis of a trial, exercise volume was self-reported and not randomized, so causality cannot be inferred.
Key findings
01The high exercise volume group reported significantly lower depression scores at follow-up than the low exercise volume group, despite similar initial scores.
02Anxiety and dizziness scores were significantly lower for the high exercise volume group across both time points, and tandem gait times were faster.
03Greater exercise volume was significantly associated with lower depression and dizziness scores and faster tandem gait times at follow-up.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The analysis is underpowered because it is a secondary analysis of a trial not originally designed for these specific comparisons. Exercise volume was self-reported without objective verification, and intensity data were not collected. Participants were not blinded to their group assignment. The study population was limited to adolescents and young adults in a single geographic region. Baseline differences in anxiety and dizziness scores suggest the groups may not have been comparable at the start. The mBESS showed no differences, possibly due to ceiling effects or poor sensitivity at this stage of recovery.
Declared interests
The study was supported by U.S. Government funds (Non-P.H.S.). No other conflicts of interest are reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these associations as proof that high exercise volume causes better recovery. The groups were defined by self-reported behavior after randomization, not by the assigned intervention, and baseline differences in anxiety and dizziness suggest that less symptomatic patients may have simply exercised more.