Exercise Best Remedy for Sport-Related Post Concussion Syndrome

For athletes with post concussion syndrome, exercise is the best remedy, says a team of international researchers.

In a new finding, Karl Kozlowski, PhD, assistant professor of Kinesiology at Canisius College, Buffalo, N.Y, found that exercise is the best remedy for treating patients with post concussion syndrome (PCS). The therapy was also effective in helping  the athletes get back to the field earlier.

Currently, the researcher is working on a treatment program for those with PCS. This study is the first study to offer hope to those with PCS as studies conducted in the past failed to produce any success.

"We started out wanting to determine if athletes who suffer from post-concussion syndrome could exercise at a level that wouldn't bring out symptoms but would allow them to stay conditioned while recuperating," said Kozlowski.

Post concussion syndrome occurs after a head injury and can last for weeks or even a month. PCS causes sleep problems, headaches and dizziness. It also gives rise to psychological symptoms like anxiety and other cognitive problems. During this time the physicians strictly recommend physical and cognitive rest.

In this study, the researchers tested exercise threshold in patients. They developed a moderate workout program that lasted 10-15 minutes for each patient. After which the patients were told to keep a track of the symptoms. The researchers found that patients felt better three weeks after following the program.

 After several months of following the exercise regime, there was a drop in the concussion symptoms.

"We found that gradual exercise, rather than rest alone, actually helps to restore the balance of the brain's auto-regulation mechanism, which controls the blood pressure and supply to the brain," says Kozlowski.

This suggests that controlled exercise may soon help treat PCS. And it surprising that a few patients respond to this treatment program quickly.

Similarly a study at University at Buffalo conducted earlier showed how a regulated individualized exercise training regime help athletes with PCS get back to filed in short period of time.