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Updated: Aug 18, 2026
Controlled Cortical Impact Model for Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: August 5, 2014
The Impact of Complementary and Integrative Medicine Following Traumatic Brain Injury: A Scoping Review
Sonya Kim1, Marianne H Mortera, Pey-Shan Wen
1Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine (Drs Kim and Sasson) and Neurology (Dr Kim), New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York; Department of Occupational Therapy, New York University, NYU Steinhardt, New York (Dr Mortera); Department of Occupational Therapy, Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing & Health Professions, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia (Dr Wen); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Dr Thompson), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Ms Wright); Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of North Carolina Greensboro (Dr Lundgren); School of Health Professions, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alabama at Birmingham (Dr Reed); Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Health Care System, New York (Dr Sasson); Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (Drs Vora and Chin); Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia (Dr Krishnan); Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (Mr Joseph); Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Colorado at Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus (Dr Heyn); and College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids (Dr Chin).
Objective:
To examine the evidence levels, study characteristics, and outcomes of nonpharmacologic complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) interventions in rehabilitation for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Data Sources:
MEDLINE (OvidSP), PubMed (NLM), EMBASE ( Embase.com ), CINAHL (EBSCO), PsycINFO (OvidSP), Cochrane Library (Wiley), and National Guidelines Clearinghouse databases were evaluated using PRISMA guidelines. The protocol was registered in INPLASY (protocol registration: INPLASY202160071).
Data Extraction:
Quantitative studies published between 1992 and 2020 investigating the efficacy of CIM for individuals with TBI of any severity, age, and outcome were included. Special diets, herbal and dietary supplements, and counseling/psychological interventions were excluded, as were studies with mixed samples if TBI data could not be extracted. A 2-level review comprised title/abstract screening, followed by full-text assessment by 2 independent reviewers.
Data Synthesis:
In total, 90 studies were included, with 57 001 patients in total. This total includes 2 retrospective studies with 17 475 and 37 045 patients. Of the 90 studies, 18 (20%) were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The remainder included 20 quasi-experimental studies (2-group or 1-group pre/posttreatment comparison), 9 retrospective studies, 1 single-subject study design, 2 mixed-methods designs, and 40 case study/case reports. Guided by the American Academy of Neurology evidence levels, class II criteria were met by 61% of the RCTs. Included studies examined biofeedback/neurofeedback (40%), acupuncture (22%), yoga/tai chi (11%), meditation/mindfulness/relaxation (11%), and chiropractic/osteopathic manipulation (11%). The clinical outcomes evaluated across studies included physical impairments (62%), mental health (49%), cognitive impairments (39%), pain (31%), and activities of daily living/quality of life (28%). Additional descriptive statistics were summarized using narrative synthesis. Of the studies included for analyses, 97% reported overall positive benefits of CIM.
Conclusion:
Rigorous and well experimentally designed studies (including RCTs) are needed to confirm the initial evidence supporting the use of CIM found in the existing literature.
