Personalized Early Aerobic Exercise to Improve Recovery from Concussion in Active-Duty Service Members Comparing Modified Buffalo Concussion Protocol with Standard Care in a Military Setting

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying how early, personalized aerobic exercise can help military service members recover from concussion more safely and quickly. The study aims to see if adding light aerobic exercise to the current Department of Defense Progressive Return to Activity DoD PRA protocol improves recovery, speeds return to duty, and reduces long-term post-concussion symptoms. It also explores how a March-in-place test may aid clinical decisions and investigates the biological effects of exercise on concussion recovery. This is a four-year multicenter randomized controlled trial involving concussed service members and healthy controls. Participants are divided into three groups healthy control service members who will perform daily aerobic exercise concussed service members following the standard PRA protocol and concussed service members who receive both the PRA protocol and a personalized aerobic exercise prescription. The exercise group starts their program the day after the first visit and is reminded daily via text messages to complete their prescribed activity and report symptoms. All participants wear activity monitors to track physical activity, heart rate, and sleep continuously until recovery or for four weeks. Throughout the study, participants will undergo various assessments including symptom tracking, physical activity monitoring, sleep quality measurements, and the Buffalo Concussion March-in-place Test. Researchers will measure outcomes such as persistent post-concussive symptoms, days until recovery, neurobehavioral symptoms, and biological markers related to brain health and autonomic function. The study also evaluates mental health and overall suitability of this exercise approach in a military setting, with data collected over four years to understand long-term effects and recovery patterns.

Exercise Reset for Concussion in a Military Environment