Improving Outcomes for Work-Related Concussions: A Mental Health Screening and Brief Therapy Model

OBJECTIVE

This study assessed the efficacy of a neurocognitive screening evaluation and brief therapy model to improve RTW outcomes for workers who experienced mild head injuries.

METHODS

Patients referred were evaluated using a neurocognitive and psychological screening battery. Work-focused cognitive behavioral therapy was provided when appropriate, addressing the role of negative emotional adjustment and functional sleep disturbance in prolonging recovery.

RESULTS

Average time to RTW was 7 weeks post-evaluation, despite workers being off an average of 10 months between injury and referral dates. Overall, 99% were released to full-duty work without restrictions or accommodations.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates the favorable outcomes achieved via a structured, clinically driven program for workers who experience head-involved injuries, validating previous research on the importance of recognizing the role of psychological factors in prolonging concussion recovery.

In search of scientific objectivity: Is there such a property for paediatric concussion?

Concussions are a significant public health problem worldwide. This brain injury is problematic in the paediatric population for a variety of reasons; however, the enquiry into these problems has been mainly through the biomedical perspective. This approach has impacted nursing knowledge and practice of children and youth with a concussion, primarily since other perspectives are viewed as not being objective. In this manuscript, I draw on Thomas Kuhn's view of objectivity to evaluate the biomedical perspective of concussion. I utilize current research and clinical examples to illustrate the advantages and drawbacks of this perspective for nursing. From this discussion, I propose an alternative perspective to capture the complexity of paediatric concussions for nursing, a systems perspective. Although I argue for an alternative perspective to approach paediatric concussions for nursing, I maintain that the biomedical perspective can be incorporated as one part of nursing knowledge and practice for paediatric concussion.

Osteopathic manipulative medicine in the management of headaches associated with postconcussion syndrome

CONTEXT

Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) for various headache types, with limited evidence of its use for headaches related to mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). No studies prior studies were found regarding OMT for headaches in patients with postconcussion syndrome (PCS), defined as symptom persistence for longer than 3 months after MTBI.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate OMT for headaches in patients with PCS.

METHODS

A controlled pilot study was conducted of patients with PCS who presented to an outpatient interdisciplinary rehabilitation clinic; patients with symptoms lasting longer than 3 months were enrolled and randomly assigned to an OMT treatment group or a control group. Primary outcome measures were immediate change in headache scores according to a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and change in the six item Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) between baseline and follow up visits. The participants in the control group completed the HIT-6 between baseline and follow up visits but did not receive OMT and did not complete the VAS. Mean immediate VAS score change for the treatment group and mean improvement in HIT-6 scores for both groups between baseline and follow up were analyzed for statistical significance.

RESULTS

A total of 26 patients were included in this study: 13 (50%) in the treatment group and 13 (50%) in the control group. Six patients (23.1%), three from each group, did not complete the study, so 10 subjects in each group were included in the final analysis. Statistically significant improvement in VAS scores was seen immediately after OMT in the treatment group (mean change, 2.1;p=0.002). Mean HIT-6 scores showed improvement in the treatment group compared with the control group, although the change was not statistically significant (p=0.15) from baseline to follow up visit. No adverse effects from treatments were noted.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with headaches secondary to PCS showed immediate benefit in headache pain intensity after OMT. However, no sustained benefit was found on the follow up visit compared with the control group.

Effects of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment on Sleep Quality in Student Athletes After Concussion: A Pilot Study

CONTEXT

Impaired sleep quality is among many symptoms observed in patients with a concussion and may predispose a patient to a prolonged recovery course and a later return to their daily activities. Studies have suggested that osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) may play a role in improving sleep quality.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate how OMT may play a role in the management and overall healing process in patients with a concussion by improving sleep quality.

METHODS

Data were collected from a randomized, controlled study on OMT and concussion (of which this study represents 1 arm) to investigate the effects of OMT vs concussion education counseling on sleep quality in student athletes with a concussion. Student athletes with no medical history of neurodegenerative disease who presented to the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine Academic Healthcare Center with a concussion following a sport-related injury were enrolled in the study. Participants received OMT intervention or standard counseling on how to care for a concussion during their first and second visits. Participants rated their symptoms, including sleep quality, on the validated scale Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5th Edition at 3 consecutive visits during 1 week. The mean sleep quality score within and between the OMT and education groups before each of 2 interventions and at the third visit were compared and analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS

Thirty participants were enrolled in the study. Total symptom data showed a stronger, significant correlation with sleep scores than with other symptoms. Participants receiving OMT (n=16) reported overall 80% and 76% improvement in sleep quality from pre-OMT values to their second and third visits, respectively. Participants who had an educational intervention (n=14) reported a 36% and 46% improvement from pre-OMT values to their second and third visits, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The beneficial relationship trend between OMT and sleep quality in patients with a concussion was not statistically significant. Owing to the limitations of this study, further research with a larger population and sham control participants is warranted. (clinicaltrials.gov No. NCT02750566).

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment Relieves Post-concussion Symptoms in a Case of Polytrauma

Optimal management of post-concussion symptoms (PCS) remains ill-defined but includes multimodal, symptom-guided plans of care. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) may be used as an adjunct treatment for PCS.

We present a case of a motor vehicle collision victim whose PCS improved directly and progressively after OMT. To our knowledge, this is the first report of OMT utilized for PCS management after polytrauma and as part of an organized trauma system.

Previous studies discuss potential benefits of OMT for patients with PCS after sports-related injuries, and none account for management of multiply injured patients as part of an organized trauma system. Further study of OMT for PCS is warranted and would benefit by recruiting patients from trauma centers in order to observe a range of mechanisms of injury that result in concussion.