Concussions are a worry for every parent. Whether your child decides to play sports or not, chances are high that your kid will experience a head injury at some point growing up. When kids are young, it’s more likely to get injured in the school playground or a random accident than on the field or rink.

Currently guidelines say children should avoid returning to play and all other physical activity until all concussion symptoms, such as headaches or dizziness, are gone. However, new research published in the American Academy of Pediatrics has found that complete rest after a concussion may not be the best for recovery.

Rest May Not Be Best

Despite recommendations to sit it out, researchers have found that 58 percent of children resume sports after a week, despite still having symptoms; while 76 percent are physically active two weeks later. While this may sound like an alarmingly bad thing, researchers have found that this non-compliance is associated with faster recovery times.

The study looked at 3,063 children between the ages of five and 18 who had visited hospital emergency departments in Canada. It then quizzed the kids on their severity of symptoms and their activity levels seven, 14 and 28 days after their injury. What researchers found was surprising.

Exercise within seven days of a head injury was associated with almost half the rate of persistent post-concussive symptoms, or those lasting beyond a month. These back up results found by some smaller studies that have questioned the benefit of prolonged physical rest following an acute concussion, particularly exceeding three days.

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• Light Aerobic Exercise Likely Best Post-Concussion >