Tuesday 14 October 2014

Decreased Medical Clearance Time with Cervicovestibular Rehabilitation After Sports-Related Concussion: Trial

Many Common Symptoms Between Concussion and Neck/Vestibular Injuries


In sports, a concussion is a common injury from which individuals usually recover in 7-10 days. But for athletes whose symptoms persist beyond that point, it is not always clear whether a neck injury is involved and whether the vestibular (balance) system has been affected. Many of the same symptoms are common to concussions and to injuries to the neck and/or balance system known as cervical/vestibular injuries. These include dizziness, unsteadiness, neck pain and/or headaches following a sport-related concussion.

Trial Studies Whether Combined Vestibular Rehab and Cervical Spine Physio Decreases Post-Concussion Recovery Time

In the June 2014 randomized controlled trial "Cervicovestibular Rehabilitation in Sport-Related Concussion", the objective was to determine if a combination of vestibular rehabilitation and cervical spine physiotherapy would decrease the time until individuals with prolonged post-concussion symptoms received medical clearance.

The trial concluded that the combination of cervical and vestibular physiotherapy did significantly decrease the time that youth and young adults who had sustained a sport-related concussion and suffered from persistent symptoms of dizziness, neck pain and/or headaches, were medically cleared to return to their sport. Evidence suggests that a combined approach to treatment of the cervical spine and vestibular systems may facilitate recovery and decrease time lost from sport in individuals with persistent symptoms. Future research is expected to evaluate the optimal timing of treatment and the effects of covariates such as age, history of concussion and dosage.

The trial was conducted by Drs. Kathryn J. Schneider, Willem J. Meeuwise, Alberto Nettel-Aguirre, Karen Barlow, Lara Boyd, Jian Kang and Carolyn A. Emery at the University of Calgary.

Contact us to find a vestibular therapist near you.

1 comment:

  1. Actually I read it yesterday but I had some thoughts about it and today I wanted to read it again because it is very well written. flu shots Arcadia

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