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Literature summary on mild traumatic brain injuries (concussions) revealed that the largest prognostic factors for outcome from mTBI are psychosocial vs biomedicall or clinical factors. Since 24% of all motor vehicle injuries involve mTBI and there are many other injuries being concurrently cared for, “Chiropractors can facilitate a path to good recovery for mTBI patients through early education, positive reassurance and providing treatment to reduce associated spine and head pain” to decrease pain induced psychosocial factors.
Abstract
In 2004, the WHO Collaborating Centre for Neurotrauma, Prevention, Management and Rehabilitation Task Force published the first large systematic review and best evidence synthesis on the clinical course and prognosis for recovery after MTBI. Ten years later, the International Collaboration on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Prognosis (ICoMP) formed to update the original WHO Task Force results. This summary review highlights important clinical findings from the full ICoMP results including the current evidence on the course and prognosis of recovery after MTBI in diverse patient populations (e.g., adults, athletes and children) and injury environments (e.g., motor vehicle collisions) as well as on the risk of long-term outcomes after MTBI, such as Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Additional clinical areas of interest in MTBI are also discussed including the similarities between MTBI and othertraumatic injuries and the risk of Second Impact Syndrome after sport concussion. Clinicians can use this information to help inform patients on the likely course of recovery after MTBI/concussion and guide better decision-making in the care of these patients.
Citation
Donovan et al. Summary of the findings of the International Collaboration on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Prognosis, Chiropractic & Manual Therapies. 2014, 22;38