Preinjury behavior and recovery after a minor head injury: A review of the literature

Minor head injury (MHI) is the most common of the three gradients of head injury, but studies of recovery after MHI have been limited in scope. Inadequate choice of study populations, limited measurement of preinjury behaviors, and the lack of consistent assessment of recovery have increased bias and decreased the interpretability of results. Several guidelines are proposed to improve understanding of the recovery process. The definition of MHI must be reproducible and restrictive. The use of multiple friend controls coupled with a matching protocol is suggested. The use of standardized tests at standardized times is recommended to increase the clarity and generalizabillty of research findings.