An interventional study of Exercise and Return to Activity Progression in Concussion (Diagnosis) and Gait Abnormality, sponsored by Northern Illinois University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 24 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-27.
Sponsored by Northern Illinois University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Approximately 1.6 to 3.8 million mild traumatic brain injuries, or concussions, occur yearly in the United States. Although most individuals progress through return-to-activity (RTA) using symptom-guided aerobic and functional activity, current protocols do not directly target neuromuscular deficits linked to persistent movement alterations after concussion. These deficits include altered gait, reduced movement efficiency, and biomechanical changes that persist beyond symptom resolution and increase subsequent risk of musculoskeletal injury. This creates a critical clinical gap: patients are cleared using symptom-tolerance protocols, while concussion-related neuromuscular impairments remain untreated during the period when recovery behaviors are established. The proposed project addresses this gap by testing a low-cost, equipment-free neuromuscular rehabilitation strategy added to standard RTA during acute concussion recovery. The intervention applies the six principles of clinical Pilates, concentration, control, centering, precision, flow, and breathing, through ten therapeutic movements designed to improve posture, flexibility, balance, strength, muscle control, body awareness, and movement confidence.
637 studies on the registry are indexed under Brain Concussion; 163 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 30 is below the median of 63 across 446 interventional studies indexed under Brain Concussion.
Browse Brain Concussion studies →Northern Illinois University is the lead sponsor of 8 studies on the registry; 2 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Behavioral: Exercise
Standard Return to Activity
Behavioral: Return to Activity Progression
The intervention will include 10 standardized exercises: pelvic tilts, bridging, seated spinal twists, bent-knee fallouts, supine toe taps, clamshells, side-lying leg lifts, supine side-to-sides, quadruped arm and leg reach, and standing roll downs. Not every exercise will be performed during every session. Exercise selection will follow a prespecified intervention framework designed to provide consistent exposure to the major movement domains of the protocol while permitting symptom-guided modification. The standardized protocol will identify the exercises eligible for each stage of progression and the criteria required to advance to more demanding movements. Research personnel will select exercises from the appropriate stage based on the participant's current tolerance, symptom response, movement quality, and prior session performance.
Also known as: Supplementary Neuromuscular Rehabilitation
A research team member will attend each RTA session to collect symptom ratings immediately before and after the session. Assessments will occur whenever the athlete completes an RTA session, up to five days per week, between days 7 and 35 after concussion. These repeated observations will characterize symptom response to standard RTA throughout recovery.
Symptom Burden
Symptom Burdent
Time frame: Day 7 to 35
Tandem Gait Performance
Tandem Gait time to complete
Time frame: Day 7 to 35
Recovery Time
Time to Recovery
Time frame: Day 7 to 35
Plan to share: Yes — The following data will be available through the NICDH DASH Center: Age, sex at birth, standard height, measured weight, overall symptom score, tandem gait time value, and time to recovery.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Informed consent form
Start is estimated for Aug 2027; primary completion for Jan 2030, 29 months later.
Of 248 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Brain Concussion, half reached primary completion within 28 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 19 and three quarters within 47. This study's planned 29 months is close to that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 264 studies reached it within 28 months; a quarter within 19 and three quarters within 47.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Aug 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Northern Illinois University