Drew, You appear to confuse PCS, which is symptom that persist after 6 to 8 weeks and basic concussion symptoms.


[People should not have to suffer with concussion symptoms for months after a head injury. Most concussions heal within 7-10 days. When people have symptoms that last longer than that, it's probably because they didn't rest enough in the beginning.]

The research shows 85% of concussions recover (heal is the wrong term) within 6 to 8 weeks with most recovering within 2 weeks and some within just a few days.

The study you link did to not differentiate reading and homework from video gaming and social media/texting. Video gaming, online activity, and social media/texting are well known over-stimulating and fatigue inducing. It is disappointing that the study did not make that differentiation. It could be that the participants did not understand that differential. The category 0 was complete rest. That has been shown to be of no value except in severe cases.

Boston Childrens' is one of the best in the world for concussion. Dr Robert Cantu was one of the early researchers and he and Chris Nowinski and the Concussion Legacy Foundation were instrumental in getting this research started in Boston. Odd that Meehan did not suggest this other category of moderated reading and school work with no computer action. Maybe it is more challenging to exclude the computer stresses in today's youth.

A prior study indicated that returning to moderated cognitive activity that does not trigger an increase in symptoms at 24 hours is beneficial.

Another study indicated that prior depression and anxiety contributed to prolonged PCS. Anxiety/stress inducing video gaming, social media, streaming, and the fast finger flipping of smartphone screens contribute to this.

[If I had stayed home and rested, my concussion would have healed within a week, and I would have been fine. But because I pushed through the pain, I suffered for many months.]

You can surmise this but it is not a given fact.

Remember, If you have seen one brain injury, you have only seen one brain injury. Every brain injury is different.

What people need to understand is self-discipline. They must moderate activities based on real time effect. Are they struggling to read a line of text? If yes, Stop reading and change activities and environment. Go walk the dog.... Pushing cognitive efforts when those same cognitive efforts did not require pushing previously means, Stop the cognitive effort.

Meehan indicated continuing to make enough effort to maintain grades is acceptable. Wow. That opens all kinds of stress into the recovery period.

There is nothing that can't be learned at a later date.

I would have loved to see Meehan state that teachers need to allow students to delay any schoolwork until they have recovered adequately.

The school calendar should not rule over the students' recovery and success. Would a semester off allow a student to return to the AP courses that are so prized?

So, self-discipline to moderating activity based on immediate and even next day effect is best.

If one broke their leg badly requiring extensive healing, they would take the time to let healing happen.

Just because the rest of the body works fine does not mean returning to activity is OK.