Over -the -counter pain relievers like ibuprofen accelerate the recovery of a concussion, according to a new study.
Patients with concussion lesions who took analgesic pills recovered 20% faster than those who did not take them, scientists from Washington in Seattle said.
“These results are exciting because there are limited treatment options for concussions, and over -the -counter pain relievers are easily available and inexpensive”, ” This study author Dr Kyle Arnold.
The study involved athletes and military cadets who had been diagnosed with concussion.
Out of 1,660 patients, 813 took over -the -counter pain relievers after their concussion, including acetaminophen, ibuprofen or other non -steroidal anti -inflammatory drugs – while 848 did not take any analgesics.
The researchers examined the time that athletes took to be authorized to return to unrestricted activities – both at 50% recovery and 90% recovery, which means that 50% of the study athletes recovered, then later when 90% was recovered.
People who took the pain relievers were 20% more likely to return to unrestricted activities faster than those who have not taken pain relievers.
Those who took medication were authorized at 50% recovery on average two days faster and 90% recovery on average seven days faster than those who have taken no medication.
People who took pain relievers were also about 15% more likely to come back to have no symptoms faster than those who did not take them.
Among those who have been recovered at 50%, people taking over the counter have had no symptoms one day earlier than those who do not take medication.
At 90% recovery, they had no symptoms three days earlier.
Those who took pain relievers also had better scores on the tests of the severity of their symptoms overall and the severity of their headache.
The research team found another advantage: earlier than people took pain relievers after the injury, the faster they recovered.
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At 50% recovery, those who started using pain relievers on the first day of their injury returned to their work and had a symptom resolution around eight days faster than those who started taking them after five days or more.
In addition, they found no difference in performance between the pain relievers, whether acetaminophen, ibuprofen or others.
“These preliminary results can help to light the potential treatment options for people who recover brain,” said Dr. Arnold, who added that additional studies were necessary to provide more definitive recommendations.
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The results must be presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in San Diego, California, from April 5 to 9.
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