Concussion recovery protocol

A structured, symptom-guided way back after a concussion: relative rest, graded activity, sleep and inflammation control, vestibular and vision work, and CBT-based thought work — with your own numbers re-measured every week so progress is visible rather than guessed at.

BRAIN.ONE is a wellness service. This page is educational and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Concussion should be assessed by a qualified clinician, and return to sport or full activity should be cleared by one.

Graded return, paced by symptoms

Each phase moves forward only when the previous one stays quiet. If symptoms rise, you drop back a step rather than pushing through.

1. Phase 1

   Days 1–2

   Relative rest, not a dark room

   Current concussion guidance moves away from total rest. Keep activity below the level that clearly worsens symptoms, protect sleep, hydrate, and avoid any second impact risk.

   What you measure: Daily symptom load and sleep. No timed cognitive testing yet.
2. Phase 2

   Days 3–7

   Light aerobic activity

   Walking or a stationary bike at conversational effort, stopping at the first meaningful symptom increase. No head movement, no impact, no contact.

   What you measure: Resting heart rate, sleep, and a short daily symptom check.
3. Phase 3

   Week 2

   Vestibular, vision and cognitive load

   Ten minutes of gaze stabilisation and balance work, plus one short focused work block. Both stop at symptom onset rather than at a fixed time.

   What you measure: Reaction time and memory span, repeated weekly.
4. Phase 4

   Weeks 3–4

   Sport-specific movement without contact

   Running, drills and change of direction with no head impact. Load rises only on days when the previous day's symptoms stayed flat.

   What you measure: Recovery markers plus weekly cognitive re-testing.
5. Phase 5

   Week 5 onward

   Return to full activity, cleared by a clinician

   Full-contact or full-intensity return happens after a clinician clears it — the protocol supports that decision, it does not replace it.

   What you measure: Re-measured baseline compared with week one.

What a recovery day looks like

Fifteen to thirty minutes of deliberate work spread across the day — the rest is timing, pacing and sleep.

When to stop and see a clinician

• Worsening headache, repeated vomiting, or a seizure
• Weakness, numbness, or trouble speaking
• Increasing confusion, agitation, or unusual drowsiness
• Symptoms that are still rising after two weeks

Any of these means urgent medical attention, not a protocol adjustment.

Find your starting point

The free Brain Check takes about two minutes and gives you a baseline to build this protocol on — then you re-measure as you go.