Researchers at UB's Sports Medicine Institute have found a novel approach to treating post-concussion syndrome: exercise.
After researching the ailment for nearly a year, Barry Willer, professor of psychiatry and rehabilitation sciences and Dr. John Leddy, clinical associate professor of orthopedics and rehabilitation sciences are proposing a solution to the ailment that affects five to 10 percent of people who do not naturally recover from a concussion.
The two professors recently published a co-authored paper documenting their research in the September issue of Current Treatment Options in Neurology.
While the effects of a concussion typically last less than six weeks, there are cases in which symptoms do not go away, according to Willer. This often leads to an inability to function in day-to-day routines, which in turn can in turn cause depression.
"The part of the brain that controls depression is vulnerable to concussions, and patients often came in very depressed," he said.
Standard technique recommends plenty of rest and relaxation. Willer and Leddy have developed a new approach that involves exercise routines specific to the person's individual affliction and response.
"We are exercising people to find out what amount of exercise is too much for the threshold of their brain," Willer said. "We establish the proper amount for each person without making their symptoms worse."
The problem with conventional treatment, according to Willer and Leddy, is that side effects can occur during the process of natural healing. Lingering symptoms such as fatigue leave concussion sufferers out of shape, making recovery difficult.
Results of Leddy's and Willer's research showed that exercise turned out to be more beneficial than medicine.
"Anti-depressants merely help you through symptoms, they do not offer solutions," Willer said. "Sometimes you have to stay on them for life. Exercise does not involve medication and you have control over it."
Exercise also allows athletes to expedite their recoveries, according to Willer.
"Athletes' de-conditioning happens so quickly because they start out at such high levels," he said. "If they can exercise, it helps them stay in shape and recover quicker."
So far, the majority of Willer and Leddy's developments have come from the successful treatment of young athletes who have suffered from post-concussion syndrome. Currently, the researchers say they are the only group studying this particular field.
"We are the only ones we know who are doing this here," Willer said. "There is a group in Canada doing similar work. We have talked to them, but they disagree with us in some respect to the exercise. So I guess that makes us unique in our approach."
Most medical research facilities do not cover post-concussion studies. Yet according to Willer, recent examination has shown that the brain functions are still altered. As a result of local success, more research has been called for.
"We have been doing the work clinically for about a year," Willer said. "We know that systematic exercise has a positive affect. Now we need to do theoretical research and find out why it works."
If findings are successfully recognized, Willer and Leddy's research could bolster UB's medical reputation as the leading university in post-concussion syndrome research and development.
