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Research Shows Long-Held Belief About Concussion Recovery is Wrong
Rest was, and often still is, the go-to treatment for concussions, but research suggests that it may actually worsen them.
The advice I received in 2013 from doctors after a major car accident in which I lost consciousness, compared to when I recovered from an unrelated brain surgery a year later, differed. After my car accident, I was told to rest, rest, rest in case I had a concussion, to let my brain heal. But after brain surgery, I was told to move around as much as possible, that the more I moved, the faster my brain would heal.
Both experiences involved brain trauma, so I found it curious that the recovery advice I received from medical professionals was so different. So, which heals the brain faster? Resting or activity?
Then I read an essay that suggested an answer, and after a little more research, it now seems my neurologist was correct. Not only is being active (within reason) better for the brain’s healing process, but resting too much can actually slow the recovery time.
What is a Concussion?
Our brain isn’t smooshed inside our skull like a pillow in a pillow case, but floats, suspended by a protective bubble of…
