Return-to-play guidelines

Adults heal faster than youth

Knowing when an athlete's brain has completely healed from a concussion is difficult. A trained medical professional will need to make sure all physical and cognitive symptoms have resolved at rest and during exertion. A balance assessment and cognitive evaluation may also be performed. If the athlete has taken a cognitive "baseline" concussion test at the beginning of their sports season (offered by many school districts and sports organizations) a second test will be administered and the results of the two tests will be compared. When the post-injury results match the pre-injury "baseline" results, and all physical and cognitive symptoms have disappeared at rest and during exertion, the medical professional may be comfortable allowing the athlete to return to activity. Other factors include the number of previous concussions, the severity of symptoms, and the type of sport the athlete is engaged in.

Note: A number of "modifying" factors may influence concussion management considerations beyond simple RTP advice. Some of these include number of, duration, and severity of symptoms, number of previous concussions, as well as history of migraines or depression. See Zurich guidelines Table 2.

Source: Dr. Robert Cantu, Chief of Neurosurgery at Emerson Hospital, Concord, Mass.; Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Chronic Encephalopathy; NFL Head, Neck, and Spine Committee senior consultant; November 2011

Give it time

Most concussions heal within a few days to three weeks. It is impossible to predict however, how long any one individual's recovery process will take. The fastest road to recovery is to limit cognitive activity such as reading, TV, texting, or computer usage, as well as physical activity. It is important not to re-injure an already injured brain or to place any undo stress upon it while it heals. Learn more...

It's a gradual process

After all physical and cognitive symptoms have disappeared, it's very important to increase physical exertion gradually. Successfully completing the gradual return-to-play protocol developed by a panel of international experts will help guide an athlete's recovery. If symptoms return during this process, then more healing time is required. Learn more...