PhD defence: Line Amalie Hellemose

On Friday 9 October at 13:00, Line Amalie Hellemose defends her PhD dissertation entitled “Unravelling the Complexity of Persistent Post-Concussion Symptoms: Integrating Bio-Psycho-Social and Symptom-Specific Approaches”.

Persistent post-concussion symptoms affect not only physical health, but also everyday life, work ability, and well-being. In her PhD dissertation, Line Amalie Hellemose investigates how different perspectives can contribute to a better understanding and treatment of patients with persistent symptoms after concussion.

Every year, thousands of people in Denmark sustain a concussion. Most recover quickly, but for some, symptoms such as headache, dizziness, fatigue, and difficulties with concentration remain part of everyday life for months or years.

– Many people expect a concussion to resolve within a few weeks. Fortunately, this is the case for most, but some experience persistent physical, psychological, and social consequences. This can make the return to everyday life considerably more complex, says medical doctor and PhD student Line Amalie Hellemose from Hammel Neurocenter.
In her PhD project, Line Amalie Hellemose has investigated how persistent symptoms after concussion can be understood and treated. The research includes GAIN 2.0, a large clinical study of adults with moderate to severe persistent symptoms after concussion.

GAIN 2.0 investigated an interdisciplinary rehabilitation programme involving physicians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and neuropsychologists. The approach is based on the understanding that persistent symptoms after concussion may be influenced by a complex interaction between biological, psychological, and social factors.

– Previous studies have shown promising results from interdisciplinary rehabilitation, but we still need to understand who benefits most from this type of intervention and how improvements can best be maintained over time. Many patients are severely affected and face different challenges that may require close collaboration across professional disciplines and healthcare sectors, says Line Amalie Hellemose.

The dissertation also investigates dizziness as an example of a prominent individual symptom. The findings show that dizziness may be strongly associated with the overall burden of post-concussion symptoms, whereas clinical signs of peripheral vestibular dysfunction are found only in a minority of patients. This highlights that individual symptoms may have different explanations and should be considered in the context of the patient’s overall symptom presentation.

Finally, interviews with patients show that persistent symptoms after concussion affect not only symptoms and functioning, but also everyday life, identity, and patients’ experiences of illness and recovery.

Overall, the dissertation contributes new knowledge about how people with persistent symptoms after concussion can be supported through a more nuanced and patient-centred approach in which symptom-specific and bio-psycho-social perspectives complement each other.

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place in Multisalen, Hammel Neurocenter. Please see the press release for more information. 

Contact

PhD student Line Amalie Hellemose
Mail: lihell@rm.dk
Phone: +45 28935939

Read full press release