More than 2 million people in the United States suffer from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year. Most TBI cases are caused by motor vehicle accidents and home accidents such as falls. During these events, the brain is shaken in the skull, causing brain damage.
Those living with mild to moderate TBI may appear okay on the outside, but many struggle daily with long lasting TBI symptoms such as the following:
Memory Loss
Difficulty Focusing
Depression
Mood Swings
Although these symptoms cannot be detected via MRI or CT scanning, they can contribute to a diminishing quality of life. To combat this, there is an abundant of research that has gone into the studies of benefits of aerobic exercise for patients suffering from TBI.
More than 50% of patients report having cognitive issues several years after sustaining a traumatic head injury (Chin, L et al 2015).
Why exercise to treat traumatic brain injury?
For years, researchers have tried to develop prescription medication to help treat mild TBI. Many only provide temporary relief. Many studies have been conducted to examine how prescribing exercise programs may be effective for those suffering from TBI. Exercise may be able to slow down the brain aging process. With exercise, patients may be able to regain a degree of lost cognitive function.
After examination of cognitive function in a population of mild TBI participants in a 12 week study completed by Lisa M. Chin and colleagues from the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine pre and post aerobic exercise training, research showed the magnitude of cognitive improvements had a linear relationship with cardio-respiratory fitness. Areas of improved cognition included information processing, delayed memory recall, and executive functions. The ideal exercise intervention/prescription hypothesized to generate the these improvements for those with mild TBI listed above were detailed as:
“...vigorous aerobic exercise training performed 3 times a week for 30 minutes on a treadmill...” (Chin, L et al 2015)
For more information about exercise, its impact on cognitive functioning and cardio-respiratory fitness on individuals living with chronic TBI, please click here to an in depth systematic review completed by researchers from the NeuroRehabilitation Center Acquired Brain Injuries.
Here is a quick video on another study done by Dr.Gordon with his findings in his research that showed the relationship between patients with TBI and exercise.
Reference:
Brainline. (2011). How Exercise Can Help Heal the Brain After a TBI [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUevLwJGMlQ
Chin, L. M., PhD, Keyser, R. E., PhD, Dsurney, J., PhD, & Chan, Leighton, MD, MPH. (2015).
Improved cognitive performance following aerobic exercise training in people with traumatic brain injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 96(4), 754-759. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2014.11.009
Vanderbeken, I., & Kerckhofs, E. (2017). A systematic review of the effect of physical exercise
on cognition in stroke and traumatic brain injury patients. NeuroRehabilitation (Reading, Mass.), 40(1), 33-48. doi:10.3233/NRE-161388