Data from a study published online in The Journal of the American Medical Association suggest that early physical activity following acute concussion may be linked to reduced risk of persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS) for younger patients. 

The research team conducted a prospective cohort study of 2,413 pediatric patients aged 5 to 18 years with acute concussion. The researchers found that PPCS at 28 days occurred in 30.4 percent of patients (n = 733). Overall, 1,677 patients participated in early physical activity, including light aerobic exercise, sport-specific exercise, noncontact drills, full-contact practice, or full competition; and 30.5 percent of patients (n = 736) had no physical activity. Compared to no physical activity, the research team found that physical activity within 7 days of injury was associated with lower risk of PPCS on propensity score matching, absolute risk difference, and inverse probability of treatment weighting analysis. Learn more...