New treatment for post concussion syndrome

Working under the theory that a little exercise may be a good thing following a sports related concussion, researchers at The University at Buffalo's Sports Medicine Institute have  developed a new method for treating athletes who sustain post-concussion syndrome.

Approximately 10 to 15 percent of the population who experience a concussion have symptoms that persist beyond six weeks. These people are diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, or PCS. Previously there has been no treatment for the condition with proven success.

The study authors are quoted as saying that "The most common approach by physicians is to recommend no exercise and prescribe antidepressants, however, antidepressants do little more than relieve some of the depression symptoms. We were interested in a treatment that didn't just treat the symptoms, but actually improved the patient's brain function."  They further said that engaging in some exercise may reduce the incidence of depression following a concussion but they emphasized that the exercise regime must be strictly enforced.

The researchers call the treatment "regulated exercise," or determining the ideal exercise program for each athlete based on a number of individual physiological indicators at baseline.  The study is published in this month's ,  Current Treatment Options in Neurology.