A Comparison Between Cardiovascular Exercise Modes Following Sport Related Concussion

Primary Aim: Compare physiological (e.g., heart rate) and clinical responses (e.g., symptom provocation) of adolescent and adult athletes (14-35 years of age) completing either a structured treadmill running or a dynamic aerobic exertion protocol during the subacute phase of sport-related concussion recovery (3-30 days after injury). Secondary Aim: Examine potential effects of clinically-relevant factors that influence symptom responses to controlled aerobic exertion, such as age, physical activity patterns, motion sensitivities, psychological responses to injury, and sleep quality, among subjects completing controlled aerobic and dynamic exertion following sport-related concussion

Exercise testing is an emerging component of the clinical evaluation for sport-related concussion. Despite the growing empirical evidence to suggest that early activity following an initial rest period after injury is beneficial to recovery, the effects of modifiable exercise prescription factors (e.g., exercise mode, duration, and intensity) is unknown. Given that dynamic exertion, which incorporates synchronized head-body movements, may contribute greater information processing demands for the functional pathways responsible for balance and equilibrium than treadmill running, may be more likely to provoke symptoms during exertion. Thus, physically active (\>150 min/week of moderate-intensity physical activity) participants prior to a diagnosed sport-related concussion will be randomly assigned to complete either an aerobic or dynamic exercise task at 1 study visit following injury.