Early Resistance Exercise in Post-Concussion Rehabilitation
A Preliminary Observational Study of Weightlifting During Acute Concussion Recovery in NCAA Division I Athletes
Study Overview
Evidence on structured resistance exercise during early concussion rehabilitation remains limited. The Amsterdam consensus already permits symptom-limited light resistance exercise during an early rehabilitation step. This observational study tracked symptom responses and recovery timelines after supervised resistance activity in NCAA Division I athletes.
Key Findings
Preliminary results from 11 NCAA Division I athletes presented at AMSSM 2026.
Takeaway
No symptom-score worsening after lifting or adverse events were reported among these 11 athletes. The uncontrolled design cannot establish safety, accelerated recovery, or whether lifting changed recovery duration. The reported 96% symptom-score reduction spans the initial assessment to the day after lifting; natural recovery may explain that change. The findings support further controlled research.
How to Interpret These Results
This is a preliminary, single-arm observational study of 11 athletes with no control group. The large effect sizes (e.g., Cohen’s d = −1.26) are striking but should be read as hypothesis-generating, not definitive. Symptom improvement over time is expected during normal concussion recovery, so without a comparison group these results cannot establish that resistance exercise caused faster recovery.
- No control group: improvements cannot be attributed to the intervention versus natural recovery, regression to the mean, or placebo effects.
- Selection bias: athletes who felt well enough to lift may have been recovering faster already — the correlation between earlier lifting and faster resolution may reflect, rather than cause, milder injury.
- Small sample (n = 11): limits generalizability and produces imprecise estimates that can be strongly affected by individual athletes.
- Protocol variability & confounders: resistance training differed across athletes, and uncontrolled factors (sleep, prior history, concurrent therapy) were not adjusted for.
These findings motivate a future controlled trial; they should not yet change clinical return-to-play practice.
Download the AMSSM 2026 Poster
PDF · 1.4 MB · Presented April 2026, Seattle, WA
Measurements
Symptom & Exertion Tracking
Investigators & Authors
Want to get involved?
Ask the research team about current concussion studies and eligibility. Researchers and partners can also contact HERO Lab about collaboration.