Feasibility of Aerobic Exercise for Recovery From Work-related Concussion

University at Buffalo (UB)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Concussion, Brain

Treatments: Behavioral: Target Heartrate Aerobic Exercise

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT06263179

UL1TR001412 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

STUDY00007706

Details and patient eligibility

About

There is a lot of research on how to treat people with sport-related concussion. There has not been a lot of research on the treatment of injured workers with concussion. An exercise program has been developed for people with sport-related concussion. It is suspected that this program may be helpful for injured workers with concussion too. This study will test the effect of this exercise in injured workers with concussion.

Full description

Participants who are diagnosed with a concussion and agree to participant in the study will complete a demographics form and other relevant questionnaires. They will then perform a graded exertion test (the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test [BCTT]) at the clinic, this takes approximately 15 minutes. Participants will then be prescribed the individualized THRAE based on the results from the BCTT and will be sent home with a commercial heart rate monitor. Participants will perform exercises at home on their free time 4-5 days per week. Participants will return to the clinic weekly to be re-examined by the study physician and obtain a new heart rate prescription for the first six weeks until clinical recovery or the intervention period ends (6-weeks).

Enrollment: 11 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 40 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Aged 18-40
• Received a concussion at work and are engaged with the workers compensation program
• Within 3 weeks of concussive injury

Exclusion criteria

• 3-point or less difference between current and pre-injury symptoms as measured by the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory (PCSI)
• Moderate or severe TBI
• Injury involving loss of consciousness for >30 minutes or post-traumatic amnesia > 24 hours
• Pre-existing conditions or presence of polytrauma that prevent participation in active testing and/or rehabilitation
• History of more than 3 diagnosed concussions
• Active substance abuse/dependence
• Report of injury mechanism occurring due to physical assault
• Unwillingness to perform intervention
• Limited English proficiency.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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11 participants in 1 patient group

Target Heartrate Aerobic Exercise (THRAE)

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will be asked to complete the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test (BCTT), a safe graded exercise test that is used to identify concussion-related exertion intolerance. Participants will wear a heart rate (HR) monitor for the collection of continuous HR data. The test is stopped when a participant's symptoms increase subjectively by an intensity of 3 points or more from the pre-exercise value on a scale from 0-10, or they report being physically exhausted. Their HR at the time of test termination constitutes the HR threshold (HRt). An individualized THRAE program will be prescribed based on 80% of the HRt on the BCTT. Participants will be given a Polar HR monitor to wear while performing their THRAE prescription, which will be performed at home for 20 minutes, 4-5 days per week, for 6 weeks or until medically cleared from their concussion.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Target Heartrate Aerobic Exercise