Early, multidisciplinary care of persistent concussion symptoms accelerates children's recovery

by Murdoch Children's Research Institute

edited by Stephanie Baum, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

Stephanie Baum

Scientific Editor

Meet our editorial team
Behind our editorial process

Andrew Zinin

Lead Editor

Meet our editorial team
Behind our editorial process Editors' notes

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

peer-reviewed publication

trusted source

proofread

The GIST Add as preferred source

Children recover significantly faster from concussion after receiving early, multidisciplinary care designed to treat persistent symptoms, according to a new study. The model will provide a blueprint for future child-specific concussion clinics across Australia.

The results, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, reveal that at three months post-injury, 62.5% of children who had accessed treatment from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) Concussion Essentials intervention fully recovered, compared with 37% receiving standard care. Additionally, early intervention greatly reduced the risk of physical and mental symptoms from becoming entrenched, with 94% of children experiencing improvements.

MCRI researcher Vanessa Rausa said the findings addressed a major gap in concussion care for children whose symptoms don't resolve quickly.

"While most children recover well after concussion, almost a third continue to experience symptoms that disrupt school, sport and everyday life," she said. "This study shows that if we identify those children early and provide targeted, coordinated care, we can significantly speed up recovery."

The randomized clinical trial involved 158 children, aged eight to 18 years, with ongoing post-concussion symptoms, recruited within weeks of their head injury from The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) emergency department and GP referrals. Treatment began four weeks post injury and was delivered weekly by an integrated multidisciplinary team for up to eight weeks, with their care adjusted as symptoms evolved.

The study, led by MCRI, in partnership with the Neurological Rehabilitation Group, found that participants who received tailored care combining education, physiotherapy and psychological support were substantially more likely to fully recover than those receiving usual care alone. The program was feasible and acceptable for families despite the commitment required to complete the treatment.

Children in the intervention arm also experienced significantly fewer and less severe symptoms across sleep and their physical, cognitive and mental health.

Concussion is one of the most common reasons children present to hospital with a head injury. While most recover within a few weeks, about 30% develop persisting symptoms. Current care often focuses on single treatments or involves delays between referrals, which can allow symptoms to worsen.

MCRI Professor Vicki Anderson said the results supported incorporating this intervention into routine clinical practice.

"Concussion is a growing health concern, with diagnosis and management poorly understood," she said. "Children don't experience concussion in a single way. By bringing education, physiotherapy and psychological care together and tailoring treatment to each child, we can respond to those different needs. We think early targeted treatment may also reduce the need for repeated health care visits and specialist referrals."

Professor Anderson said further research would focus on how the model could be expanded beyond hospital settings.

"We now need to look at how this kind of care can be scaled to community clinics and delivered through options like telehealth so more families outside of metropolitan areas can access effective treatment earlier," she said.

To also help recognize concussion early, the Concussion Essentials (HeadCheck) app has been designed by leading child concussion experts at MCRI in collaboration with the Australian Football League. The free assessment tool educates parents, coaches and players to understand when medical attention is needed and how to manage recovery safely.

Publication details

Vicki Anderson et al, Multimodal symptom-targeted treatment for young people with persisting post-concussion symptoms: a randomised clinical trial, British Journal of Sports Medicine (2026). DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2025-110880

Access the the Concussion Essentials (HeadCheck) app.

Journal information: British Journal of Sports Medicine

Key medical concepts

ConcussionPost-Concussion SyndromePsychological therapyPhysical Therapy

Clinical categories

PediatricsNeurologyChildren's healthAllied healthCommon illnesses & Prevention Provided by Murdoch Children's Research Institute Who's behind this story?

Stephanie Baum

Master's in TESOL from The New School. Passionate about language learning and editing science news on biology and space exploration. Full profile →

Andrew Zinin

Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →

Citation: Early, multidisciplinary care of persistent concussion symptoms accelerates children's recovery (2026, May 26) retrieved 26 May 2026 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-early-multidisciplinary-persistent-concussion-symptoms.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.