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Background: Physical rest after a concussion has been described as a key component in the management of the injury. Evidence supporting this recommendation, however, is limited. Purpose: To examine the association between physical activity and symptom duration in a cohort of patients after a concussion. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: This study included 364 patients who were diagnosed with a concussion, were seen by a physician within 3 weeks of injury, and completed a questionnaire at the initial clinic visit. The questionnaire assessed the postconcussion symptom scale (PCSS) score, previous number of concussions, presence of the loss of consciousness or amnesia at the time of injury, and prior treatment for headaches. During each follow-up clinic visit, physical activity level was self-reported. A Cox proportional hazard model was constructed to determine the association between symptom duration, initial clinic visit responses, and self-reported physical activity level after the injury. Results: Study participants ranged in age from 8 to 27 years (mean age, 15.0 years) and had sustained a mean of 0.8 prior concussions; 222 patients (61%) were male. On initial examination, the mean PCSS score was 34.7. The mean symptom duration was 48.9 days after the injury. Among the variables included in the model, initial PCSS score and female sex were independently associated with symptom duration, while physical activity level after the injury was not. For participants aged between 13 and 18 years, however, higher levels of physical activity after the injury were associated with a shorter symptom duration. Conclusion: Results from this study indicate that physical activity after the injury may not be universally detrimental to the recovery of concussion symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Age has been described as a factor that affects recovery after concussion. The recommended management protocol is to treat adolescents in a more cautious manner than adults. However, few studies have prospectively and longitudinally assessed the way these age groups perform on motor tasks after concussion. Purpose: To examine dual-task gait balance control deficits after concussion in a group of adolescents and young adults in reference to matched control subjects within 72 hours of injury and throughout 2 months after injury. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Adolescents and young adults who sustained a concussion and individually matched controls completed a whole-body motion gait analysis while simultaneously performing a cognitive task. Subjects with concussion reported to the laboratory within 72 hours after injury and at the following time points: 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, and 2 months after injury. Control subjects completed the same protocol at similar time points. Gait balance control measurements included whole-body center-of-mass (COM) medial-lateral displacement/velocity and anterior velocity. Results: A total of 38 subjects with concussion, 19 young adults (mean ± SD age, 20.3 ± 2.4 years) and 19 adolescents (mean ± SD age, 15.1 ± 1.1 years), and 38 individually matched control subjects were tested. Within 72 hours of injury, adolescents displayed significantly greater COM medial-lateral displacement (P = .001) and peak velocity (P = .001) relative to their control group, and the young adult concussion group displayed significantly less peak COM anterior velocity than their control group (P = .01). Across the 2 months of testing, adolescents with concussion displayed significantly greater total COM medial-lateral displacement than did adolescent controls (P = .001), while young adults with concussion did not significantly differ from their matched controls (P = .07). Conclusion: An examination of gait balance control during dual-task walking revealed that after concussion, in reference to matched controls, adolescents demonstrated greater gait balance control deficits than did young adults initially and throughout the 2-month postinjury period, supporting the recommendation of conservative management for adolescents after concussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A validated clinical risk tool has been developed to identify pediatric and adolescent patients at risk of developing persisting symptoms after concussion, but has not been prospectively investigated within a sample of athletes seen after concussion by primary care sports medicine physicians and/or athletic trainers. Purpose: To determine whether a validated clinical risk prediction tool for persistent postconcussive symptoms (PPCSs) predicted which patients would develop PPCSs when obtained within 14 days of concussion among a multicenter sample of adolescent athletes. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Pediatric and adolescent patients (8-18 years of age) from 7 pediatric medical centers and 6 secondary school athletic training facilities who were diagnosed with a concussion and presented ≤14 days after concussion were enrolled as part of the Sport Concussion Outcomes in Pediatrics (SCOPE) study during their initial visit and were followed until symptom resolution. Clinical risk scores (Predicting and Preventing Post-concussive Problems in Pediatrics [5P]) and total symptom severity were obtained using the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory at the initial visit (mean, 4.9 ± 2.9 days after concussion). Participants were then compared based on symptom resolution time: PPCS group (≥28 days to symptom resolution) and no-PPCS group (<28 days). The authors assessed the odds of developing PPCSs based on the 5P risk score using a binary logistic regression model and the utility of the clinical risk prediction tool to identify total time to symptom resolution using a Cox proportional hazards model. Results: A total of 184 participants enrolled, underwent initial evaluation, and were followed until symptom resolution (mean age, 15.2 ± 2.1 years; 35% female). The mean time to symptom resolution across the entire sample was 17.6 ± 3.7 days; 16% (n = 30) of participants developed PPCS. Those in the PPCS group had significantly greater mean initial total 5P risk scores than those in the no-PPCS group (7.9 ± 1.7 vs 5.9 ± 2.3, respectively; P <.001). After adjustment for initial symptom severity, time to assessment, and assessment setting, a higher initial total 5P risk score was associated with a significantly greater odds of developing PPCSs (adjusted odds ratio, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.07-2.08; P =.019). Furthermore, a higher 5P risk score was significantly associated with longer total symptom resolution time (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.74-0.88; P <.001). Conclusion: In a multicenter sample of youth athletes seen in different outpatient health care settings, the 5P risk score accurately predicted which athletes may be at risk for developing PPCSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]