StuckinBoston:

You bring up some good points. I don't even think the researchers can explain these differences that each individual experiences, but that is one of the things they are working towards. However I know that everyone that has taken part in this study has seen great improvement in their symptoms, most of them becoming symptom-free. That seems pretty promising to me.

How long have you been stuck running at 1/4 mile? From what I've read, it seems that you need to start out really small and get your body used to being active again before you try and increase your activity. I have no idea how long it takes before you can improve, but like everything else, would probably vary from person to person.

PCSLearner:

Hmm, that is an interesting point - if they believe symptoms are related to de-conditioning, why does PCS still effect athletic individuals as well as nonathletic individuals? The initial study involved 12 individuals - 6 athletes and 6 non-athletes. They had been symptomatic at rest for 6 weeks or more, and then after participating in this study they all became symptom-free. It did note that the athletes were able to improve faster then non-athletes, although they are not sure why this is the case.

Those that were involved in the study needed to be at least 6 weeks post-injury. When I was talking to Dr. Willer on the phone, he said that the first three weeks after sustaining a concussion were extremely important, and that no physical/mental exertion was critical to recovery. After that, if there was no recovery in that time frame, they thought it was unlikely for a "spontaneous recovery" to occur.

If you would like (or anyone else that is interested), feel free to PM me and I can email you a copy of the study that was sent to me. It is a bit "scientific", especially if you are not familiar with that type of information, however you would still be able to understand the basic concepts of the study. Let me know, I would be happy to send it to you!

Kelly