In what may be a major breakthrough, researchers at Ottawa’s Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario have released a study that suggests that light aerobic exercise may speed recovery from a concussion.
The study was published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association and appears to contradict current protocol that holds that patients should stay home and keep still during their recovery period.
The study involved more than 3,000 children treated for concussions in emergency departments across Canada and the results are striking.
Forty-four per cent of patients who relied on bed rest during the first week of recovery continued to have three or more concussion symptoms after one month.
But just 25 per cent of patients who did some aerobic exercise during their first week of recovery reported similar symptoms after a month.
Dr. Roger Zemek, a CHEO pediatric emergency physician and researcher, led the study.
He spoke by phone with RCI about what the study means and about future research set to begin early next year.
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