USA TODAY: …Although reducing cognitive activity to rest the brain is commonly recommended for concussion treatment, there has been limited research to back up that advice. But the new study in January’s Pediatrics, published online today, lends support to the idea.
In the study of 335 children and young adults, ages 8 to 23, those reporting the greatest levels of cognitive activity (including homework, playing video games, doing crossword puzzles, text messaging and online activities) after a concussion took the longest to fully recover from their symptoms — approximately 100 days on average, compared to approximately 20 to 50 days for patients reporting lesser levels of activity.
Cognitive activities were defined as “activities that require you to think harder than usual” and study participants were grouped according to the average amount of cognitive activity — from complete cognitive rest to a full schedule — that they reported doing between each visit to a concussion clinic… (more)
