Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41542833›Full record

ArticleThe Physician and sportsmedicine2026

Physical activity and caloric expenditure after adolescent concussion: a comparison with uninjured controls.

Katherine L Smulligan, Aubrey M Armento, Mathew J Wingerson, Madison L Brna, Shannon Nagle, William P Meehan, Julie C Wilson, David R Howell

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Physician and sportsmedicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Katherine L SmulliganDivision of Sports Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9060-868X
Aubrey M ArmentoDepartment of Orthopedics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
Mathew J WingersonDepartment of Orthopedics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
Madison L BrnaSchool of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Shannon NagleDivision of Sports Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
William P MeehanDivision of Sports Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Julie C WilsonDepartment of Orthopedics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
David R HowellDepartment of Orthopedics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.

Funding

Modulating Exercise Dosage to Improve Concussion Rehabilitation: A Randomized Clinical TrialR01HD108133 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI David R. Howell · 2022 to 2026
$3.3M
NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD108133
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeConcussion-induced pathophysiology creates an energetic imbalance within the brain. Though physical activity (PA) is recommended to facilitate recovery, individualized factors such as symptom severity and/or energy availability may be barriers to PA engagement and may need to be considered to promote concussion recovery. Our purpose was to compare PA over a one-week period between adolescents with and without a recent concussion.

methodsAdolescent athletes within 3 weeks of concussion and uninjured athletes wore wrist-worn actigraphy devices for one week to quantify three outcomes: PA (steps/day), caloric expenditure, and resting heart rate (RHR). We used linear mixed models with random slopes and random intercepts for participants to examine between-group differences for each outcome over the monitoring period, adjusting for variables that differed between groups.

resultsWe enrolled and followed 149 adolescents for one week: 85 with concussion (starting at 9.2 ± 3.5 days post-injury, age = 15.3 ± 1.8 years, 52% female) and 64 uninjured controls (age = 15.4 ± 1.5 years, 61% female). After adjusting for covariates, the concussion group took fewer steps/day (β = -4837 steps/day; 95%CI: -6266, -3409;

conclusionAdolescents after recent concussion demonstrated lower PA and expended fewer calories than uninjured controls, indicating that it may take several weeks after concussion to resume PA levels similar to uninjured peers. Our results may reflect participants following concussion guidelines/physician guidance to gradually increase PA during concussion recovery as tolerated without symptom exacerbation, leading to less PA engagement compared to controls. Further research into energy needs after concussion may inform therapeutic targets to facilitate recovery.

Indexed as

Athletic InjuriesBrain ConcussionEnergy MetabolismExerciseActigraphyAdolescentCase-Control StudiesFemaleHeart RateHumansMalebrain injuryenergy availabilityExerciserecoverywearables

Identifiers

PMID41542833
PMCPMC13040388

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.