The association between sleep and physical activity with persisting postconcussion symptoms among adolescent athletes.
Linda M Neely, Katherine L Smulligan, Mathew J Wingerson and 4 others
PMID 36580488WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescent athletes who exercised more frequently in the first two weeks after a concussion were less likely to develop persisting symptoms.
Objective tracking showed that the number of exercise sessions mattered more than total daily steps or sleep duration.
Key findings
01Participating in fewer exercise sessions per week was significantly associated with a greater odds of developing persisting post-concussion symptoms.
02Greater exercise frequency was independently associated with faster concussion symptom resolution time, with a Hazard Ratio of 1.31.
03Average steps per day and total time asleep were not significantly associated with the development of persisting symptoms when adjusted for other factors.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was observational, so it cannot prove that exercise causes faster recovery; it is possible that adolescents who felt better earlier were simply more willing to exercise. The sample size was small (49 participants) and drawn from a single specialty clinic, which may limit how well the results apply to other populations. The association between better device adherence and PPCS development was unexplained and may reflect confounding factors not measured in the study. Participants stopped wearing the device once they recovered, so data was only collected during the symptomatic phase.
Declared interests
The paper is supported by non-U.S. government funding. No specific conflicts of interest regarding commercial entities are detailed in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as evidence that exercising more will definitely speed up recovery for every patient. This is an association found in a small group of athletes, and it is possible that those who recovered faster were simply able to exercise more, rather than exercise causing the recovery.