Painkillers may speed up concussion recovery

By Stephen Beech

Over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen speed up the recovery from concussion, according to a new study.

Concussion injury patients who take the pills recover faster than those who do not take pain relievers, say American scientists.

Study author Dr. Kyle Arnold, of the University of Washington, Seattle, said: “These results are exciting as there are limited treatment options for concussion, and over-the-counter pain relievers are readily available and inexpensive.

“If these results can be confirmed by a controlled study, they could guide us to possible treatment options for people after a concussion.”

The study involved athletes and military cadets who had concussions.

A total of 813 patients took over-the-counter pain relievers, including acetaminophen or ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, after their concussion while 848 didn't take any pain relievers.

Researchers looked at the amount of time it took the athletes to be cleared to return to activities with no restrictions at both 50% recovery and 90% recovery, meaning when 50% of the athletes in the study recovered and then later when 90% recovered.

People who took the pain relievers were 20% more likely to have a faster time before they were cleared to return to activities with no restrictions than those who didn't take painkillers.

Those who took the medications were cleared at 50% recovery an average of two days faster, and at 90% recovery an average of seven days faster than those who took no medication.

People who took painkillers were also about 15% more likely to return to having no symptoms more quickly than those who didn't take them.

At 50% recovery, those taking the medications had no symptoms one day sooner than those not taking the medications. At 90% recovery, they had no symptoms three days sooner.

Those who took painkillers also had lower scores on tests of how severe their symptoms were overall and how severe their headaches were.

The research team also found that the earlier people took painkillers after the injury, the faster they recovered.

At 50% recovery, those who started using painkillers on the first day of their injury returned to play and had resolution of symptoms around eight days faster than those who started taking them after five or more days.

There was no difference between the type of pain reliever taken and how quickly patients recovered.

Dr. Arnold said: “Early medication use appeared to be linked to shorter recovery times, but these findings require further validation through controlled trials."

He added: “These preliminary results may help inform potential treatment options for people recovering from concussions, but additional studies are needed to provide more definitive recommendations.”

The findings are due to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in San Diego, California.