Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of early rehabilitation on serum matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) in patients with traumatic brain injury. Methods Patients with traumatic brain injury were divided into control group (n=45), who accepted routine treatment, and observation group (n=45), who accepted early rehabilitation in addition. The incidences of improvement were compared, and the serum level of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were measured before and 4 weeks after treatment. Results The incidence of improvement was more in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.01). The serum level of MMP-2 and MMP-9 decreased more in the observation group than in the control gorup (P<0.05). Conclusion Early rehabilitation can reduce the level of MMP and promote the function recovery in patients with traumatic brain injury.

Key words: traumatic brain injury, early rehabilitation, matrix metalloproteinases