Remote Aerobic Exercise Accelerated Recovery in Youth With Concussion

In a randomized clinical trial of 210 adolescents with concussion, a six-week remotely delivered aerobic exercise program was compared with stretching. Symptom and quality-of-life improvements favored exercise at three months, but not six months; benefits were concentrated among participants less than three months from injury.

Trial randomized 210 youths to remote exercise or stretching.
Three-month symptom and quality-of-life outcomes favored exercise.
Between-group differences were not significant at six months.
Benefits were concentrated in participants less than three months post-injury.

The randomized clinical trial enrolled 210 people aged 11 to 18 years with concussion up to one year earlier, recruited from outpatient locations in four US states. Participants were assigned to a six-week mobile subthreshold exercise program (MSTEP) or stretching, with weekly videoconferencing calls in both groups. MSTEP participants used activity trackers and began aerobic exercise at 60% of maximum heart rate, progressing in intensity and duration. Outcomes included concussion symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), with follow-up to six months.

At three months, adjusted analyses favored MSTEP for concussion symptoms (β, −3.15; 95% CI, −6.05 to −0.25) and HRQoL (β, 4.15; 95% CI, 0.64 to 7.66). Group differences were not significant at six months. Modeling also indicated faster symptom recovery with MSTEP. Benefits were significant among participants less than three months from injury; sleep, depression, and anxiety improved in both groups without significant between-group differences.

The findings suggest remote, progressively intensified aerobic exercise may speed recovery, particularly when started within three months of injury. The trial does not establish longer-term differences between programs, and the reported subgroup findings warrant cautious interpretation. The intervention was compared with stretching, not usual care, and full-text details were not provided in the source.

In practice

For children and adolescents aged 11 to 18 with concussion, this randomized trial found that a six-week, remotely supported aerobic exercise program was associated with better concussion-symptom and health-related quality-of-life outcomes than stretching at three months. Differences were not significant at six months, and reported benefits were concentrated among participants less than three months from injury. The results support considering remote exercise approaches as promising, but do not establish a lasting advantage or show that the program should replace other care; the comparison was with stretching rather than usual care.

AI-generated clinical interpretation · Not editor-reviewed

AI summary · Not yet editor-reviewed

Is this summary clinically accurate?

Help fellow clinicians: your rating sends inaccurate summaries straight to our editors.

Source

JAMA Pediatrics: Mobile Subthreshold Exercise Program (MSTEP) for Youth With Prolonged Concussion Recovery ↗

This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.