Association Between Early Participation in Physical Activity Following Acute Concussion and Persistent Postconcussive Symptoms in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

IMPORTANCEAlthough concussion treatment guidelines advocate rest in the immediate postinjury period until symptoms resolve, no clear evidence has determined that avoiding physical activity expedites recovery.OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between participation in physical activity within 7 days postinjury and incidence of persistent postconcussive symptoms (PPCS). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Prospective, multicenter cohort study (August 2013-June 2015) of 3063 children and adolescents aged 5.00-17.99 years with acute concussion from 9 Pediatric Emergency Research Canada network emergency departments (EDs).EXPOSURES Early physical activity participation within 7 days postinjury.MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Physical activity participation and postconcussive symptom severity were rated using standardized questionnaires in the ED and at days 7 and 28 postinjury. PPCS (Ն3 new or worsening symptoms on the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory) was assessed at 28 days postenrollment. Early physical activity and PPCS relationships were examined by unadjusted analysis, 1:1 propensity score matching, and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). Sensitivity analyses examined patients (Ն3 symptoms) at day 7. RESULTS Among 2413 participants who completed the primary outcome and exposure, (mean [SD] age, 11.77 [3.35] years; 1205 [39.3%] females), PPCS at 28 days occurred in 733 (30.4%); 1677 (69.5%) participated in early physical activity including light aerobic exercise (n = 795 [32.9%]), sport-specific exercise (n = 214 [8.9%]), noncontact drills (n = 143 [5.9%]), full-contact practice (n = 106 [4.4%]), or full competition (n = 419 [17.4%]), whereas 736 (30.5%) had no physical activity. On unadjusted analysis, early physical activity participants had lower risk of PPCS than those with no physical activity (24.6% vs 43.5%; Absolute risk difference [ARD], 18.9% [95% CI,14.7%-23.0%]). Early physical activity was associated with lower PPCS risk on propensity score matching (n = 1108 [28.7% for early physical activity vs 40.1% for no physical activity]; ARD, 11.4% [95% CI, 5.8%-16.9%]) and on inverse probability of treatment weighting analysis (n = 2099; relative risk [RR], 0.74 [95% CI, 0.65-0.84]; ARD, 9.7% [95% CI, 5.7%-13.7%]). Among only patients symptomatic at day 7 (n = 803) compared with those who reported no physical activity (n = 584; PPCS, 52.9%), PPCS rates were lower for participants of light aerobic activity (n = 494 [46.4%]; ARD, 6.5% [95% CI, 5.7%-12.5%]), moderate activity (n = 176 [38.6%]; ARD, 14.3% [95% CI, 5.9%-22.2%]), and full-contact activity (n = 133 [36.1%]; ARD, 16.8% [95% CI, 7.5%-25.5%]). No significant group difference was observed on propensity-matched analysis of this subgroup (n = 776 [47.2% vs 51.5%]; ARD, 4.4% [95% CI, −2.6% to 11.3%]).CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among participants aged 5 to 18 years with acute concussion, physical activity within 7 days of acute injury compared with no physical activity was associated with reduced risk of PPCS at 28 days. A well-designed rand...

The Effects of Early Physical Activity Compared to Early Physical Rest on Concussion Symptoms

“… Of the 16 studies, only five studies met the inclusion criteria: two randomized control trials, 6,7 two prospective cohort studies, 8,9 and one retrospective cohort study.…”

“…The remaining two studies reviewed patient records who were diagnosed with concussions with thorough assessments and analyzed symptom and physical activity patterns based on selfreported levels of activity. 8,10 Grool et al prospectively assessed over 2,500 patients that presented to emergency departments in Canada and examined the association between their amount of physical activity and persistent symptomology seven days post-concussion. 8 Majerske and colleagues retrospectively examined athletes who were assessed in the university's sports medicine concussion program.…”

“…8,10 Grool et al prospectively assessed over 2,500 patients that presented to emergency departments in Canada and examined the association between their amount of physical activity and persistent symptomology seven days post-concussion. 8 Majerske and colleagues retrospectively examined athletes who were assessed in the university's sports medicine concussion program. 10 The researchers only included athletes who had thorough documentation of physical activity levels and academic status over at least two visits in order to determine the association of physical activity on post-concussion symptoms and neurocognitive performance.…”

“…Four studies 6,7,8,10 included symptom inventories with a Likert scale to indicate severity of each symptom, which included the Post-concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS), Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory (PCSI), and Graded Symptom Checklist (GSRC). One study 6 used a 16-question post-traumatic complaint scale utilizing a standard visual analog scale for each question.…”

“…Four studies [7][8][9][10] followed up within seven days, all five studies followed up within the first month, and one study 6 followed out to six months post-injury.…”