Benefits of Exercise Maintenance After Traumatic Brain Injury

Wise EK, Hoffman JM, Powell JM, Bombardier CH, Bell KR. Benefits of exercise maintenance after traumatic brain injury.ObjectiveTo examine the effect of exercise intervention on exercise maintenance, depression, quality of life, and mental health at 6 months for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) with at least mild depression.DesignTreatment group participants were assessed at baseline, after a 10-week exercise intervention, and 6 months after completion of the intervention.SettingCommunity.ParticipantsParticipants (N=40) with self-reported TBI from 6 months to 5 years prior to study enrollment and a score of 5 or greater on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.InterventionsTen-week exercise intervention program consisting of supervised weekly 60-minute sessions and unsupervised 30 minutes of aerobic exercises 4 times each week. Telephone follow-up was conducted every 2 weeks for an additional 6 months to promote exercise maintenance for individuals randomized to the intervention group.Main Outcome MeasureBeck Depression Inventory (BDI) comparing participant outcomes over time. Post hoc analyses included comparison among those who exercised more or less than 90 minutes per week.ResultsParticipants reduced their scores on the BDI from baseline to 10 weeks and maintained improvement over time. Many participants (48%) demonstrated increased physical activity at 6 months compared with baseline. Those who exercised more than 90 minutes had lower scores on the BDI at the 10-week and 6-month assessments and reported higher perceived quality of life and mental health.ConclusionsExercise may contribute to improvement in mood and quality of life for people with TBI and should be considered as part of the approach to depression treatment.