Personalized Exercise Program to Help Active Duty Service Members Recover from Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating a prescribed sub-symptomatic adaptable exercise treatment SAET for active duty service members with persistent cognitive complaints following mild traumatic brain injury mTBI. The study aims to see if SAET can reduce symptoms, improve mental health, enhance physiological functioning, and help participants return to duty. It compares SAET to a control group doing stretching exercises to determine which approach better reduces neurobehavioral symptoms and improves cognitive and physical performance. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the SAET group or the stretching control group SCG. Both groups will attend two in-clinic sessions per week with a licensed Physical Therapist or Exercise Physiologist and complete three independent sessions weekly for eight weeks, totaling 40 hours. SAET sessions include stretching, aerobic exercise, resistance training, and mobility work, adjusted to keep symptoms below noticeable levels. Stretching sessions focus on static stretches and yoga-based movements without raising heart rate. During the study, participants will undergo assessments of neurobehavioral symptoms, cognitive function, physiological adaptation, and military performance at baseline, post-treatment, and three months after treatment ends. Researchers will monitor heart rate variability, oxygen consumption, cerebrovascular blood flow, and physical fitness using tests such as the Marine Corps Combat Fitness Test. Participants will also complete questionnaires about their exercise habits. The study lasts about six months and includes safety monitoring and follow-up assessments to measure treatment effects over time.

Treatment Optimization of Brain-injured Warfighters