A new study suggests that a combination of breathing exercises and gradual aerobic exercise can enhance recovery from concussion symptoms in teens, especially those experiencing slow recovery.
The study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 75th Annual Meeting.
It found that when the two therapies were used together, they led to considerable improvements in thinking and memory skills, depression, and mood.
Slow recovery was characterized as concussion symptoms lasting longer than a month. These symptoms can include headache and dizziness, mood issues, depression, and problems with memory and concentration.
About the Study
The research involved 30 teenagers who had experienced sport and recreation-related injuries and had symptoms lasting longer than a month.
The participants were divided into three groups: a biofeedback group that practiced slow breathing using a computer program for 20 minutes a night, four nights a week; an exercise group that started with 20 minutes of low-intensity aerobic activity three times a week, which gradually increased in intensity and duration; and a third group that combined both biofeedback and exercise.
The researchers evaluated concussion symptoms, heart rate variability, sleep, mood, and thinking and memory skills for all participants at the start of the study and again six weeks later.
Results of the Study
The study found that while all groups reported improvements in sleep, mood, cognition, and autonomic function, the group that combined biofeedback and exercise reported the greatest improvements.
This combined group experienced a two times greater reduction in symptom severity compared to the exercise group, and a 1.3 times greater reduction in symptom severity compared to the biofeedback group.
Moreover, the combined group experienced a 1.2 times greater reduction in symptoms of depression compared to the exercise group, and a 1.3 times greater reduction than the biofeedback group.
They also showed over 1.4 times the reduction in total mood disturbance than either exercise or biofeedback alone.
Furthermore, the combined group had significant improvements in attention and working memory, as well as significant changes in metrics of heart rate variability than the other two groups.
Implications and Limitations
Study author R. Davis Moore, Ph.D., of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, noted that these therapies are inexpensive, easy to implement, and can be self-administered, making them feasible and accessible for everyone with persistent symptoms.
However, the study had a limitation: it did not include a control group of people who received no intervention. The current results are also preliminary, and future research involving larger groups is needed.
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