Exercise in Postconcussion Symptoms and Posttraumatic Headache

Exercise Interventions in Patients With Postconcussion Symptoms and Posttraumatic Headache. A Randomized Controlled Trial.

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare two models of delivery of guided exercise in patients with exercise intolerance after mild head injury.

The main question it aims to answer is:

• Is a program that includes elements of in-house exercise and follow-up sessions, and repeated treadmill testing, superior to a program with telephone-based follow-up only?

Participants will undergo a treadmill test to determine eligibility for the study, and to determine at what intensity level their symptoms worsen (symptom threshold). Thereafter they will exercise 15-20 minutes, 3-5 times per week at 80-90% of the heart rate that was found to be the symptom threshold. One group will receive face-to-face folllow-up and repeated testing, one group will receive telephone-based follow-up only .

Researchers will compare these two groups to see if closer follow-up is superior when it comes to recovery from exercise intolerance after 12 weeks of exercise.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Craniocerebral Trauma; Brain Concussion; Post-Concussion Syndrome; Post-Traumatic Headache
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Sub-symptom threshold exercise

Detailed Description

Patients with self-reported symptom exacerbation in relation to physical activity will be screened for inclusion with Buffalo Concussion Treadmill test (BCTT), an incremental treadmill exercise test according to a standard Balke protocol, to the first sign of symptom exacerbation or submaximal exertion. Heart rate and perceived exertion (Borg scale) are measured every minute. Patients who demonstrate symptom exacerbation according to predefined criteria will receive an individually tailored program for workouts with self-selected aerobic activites, of 15-20 minutes duration, 4-5 times per week at 85-90% (measured with HR monitor) of the HR at test termination, and they are randomised to either:

A. Every week the first three weeks, participants will exercise one individual session at the hospital, and the BCTT will be performed every 3rd week at the hospital to be able to shape the intervention.

B. The participants will only exercise at home, and will be contacted by telephone/video call, every week during the first three weeks, thereafter less often, up to every third week.

After 12 weeks, there will be a repeated BCTT, performed by a blinded assessor.

Patient reported outcomes are collected using electronic questionnaires before and after the intervention and 6 months after inclusion.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 100
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Toril Skandsen, PhD; Phone Number: +4792692780; Email: toril.skandsen@ntnu.no
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Janne-Birgitte BB Børke, Msc; Email: janne.borke@stolav.no

Study Locations

• Norway
  • Trondheim, Norway, 7050
    • Recruiting
    • St. Olavs hospital, Clinic of Rehabilitation
    • Contact: Toril Skandsen, phd; Phone Number: +47 92692780; Email: toril.skandsen@ntnu.no
    • Contact: Janne-Birgitte BB Børke, Msc; Email: janne.borke@stolav.no

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18-65 years
• Having sustained a minimal head injury or mild traumatic brain injury at least 2 weeks ago.
• At least one postconcussion symptoms, of at least moderate degree, occurring within the first week after the head injury.
• Intolerance for physical activity (self-reported and measured; including symptom exacerbation later on the test day).
• Capable of giving informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• More than 2 years since last injury.
• The symptoms are better explained by other conditions.
• Severe communication problems, typically due to poor knowledge of Norwegian.
• Severe psychiatric, neurological, somatic, or substance abuse disorders that will make it problematic to function in a group and/or will complicate follow-up and outcome assessment.
• Safety concerns according to the study medical checklist.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Follow-up face-to face; Home-based and in-house exercise, supervised both by telephone and face-to-face. Every week the first three weeks participants will exercise one session at the hospital, and the BCTT/BCCT will be performed every 3rd week, at the hospital in order to be able to shape the intervention.	Other: Sub-symptom threshold exercise; Aerob exercise at an intensity just below the intensity that provokes symptom exacerbation.
Active Comparator: Follow-up over the phone; Home-based exercise only, supervised by telephone. The participants will exercise solely in the home setting and will be contacted by telephone, every week during the first three weeks, thereafter every third week. Based on the therapist's evaluation during these calls, the intervention is shaped.	Other: Sub-symptom threshold exercise; Aerob exercise at an intensity just below the intensity that provokes symptom exacerbation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Exercise tolerance	Change in heart rate at test termination (the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test)	3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Headache burden	Change in days of headache of at least moderate intensity	6 months
Change on self-selected area of function.	Change on the Patient-specific Function Scale (PSFS), the first 3 items, range 0-30, highest is worst.	6 months
Self-reported amount of physical activity	Change on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), higher total values indicate more physical activity.	6 months
Quality of life after head injury (QOL)	Change on the Quality of life after brain injury - Overall Scale (QOLIBRI - OS). Six items rated on an ordinal scale, higher score indicate better QOL.	6 months
Depressive symptoms	Change on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Nine items range 0-3, higher score indicates more severe depressive symptoms.	6 months
Anxiety	Change on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). Seven items range 0-3, higher score indicates more severe symptoms of anxiety.	6 months
Impact of headaches	Change on the Headache Impact Test (HIT)-6. Six items, Total score ranges from 36-78, higher score indicates higher impact.	6 months
Fatigue	Change on the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Nina items, total score range 9-63, higher score indicates more severe fatigue.	6 months
Adherence to training	The Problematic Experience of Therapy scale (PETS). 12 questions with responses on a Likert scale. No total score.	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: St. Olavs Hospital
• Investigators: Study Director: Britt-Elin Lurud, MD, Clinic of Rehabilitation, St. Olavs Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 1, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 20, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 24, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): August 29, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): July 8, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 7, 2025
• Last Verified: July 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: exercise; exercise intolerance; Thread mill test
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Brain Injuries, Traumatic; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Wounds and Injuries; Headache Disorders; Trauma, Nervous System; Head Injuries, Closed; Wounds, Nonpenetrating; Brain Injuries; Headache Disorders, Secondary; Headache; Brain Concussion; Post-Concussion Syndrome; Craniocerebral Trauma; Post-Traumatic Headache
• Other Study ID Numbers: 468196

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No