My Child Has a Concussion – Now What?
After a child is diagnosed with a concussion, parents often ask when kids can return to playing sports or get back to school.
Concussions can be very frustrating to treat for families, as much of the recovery is rest. For a concussion, “rest” may also mean staying away from quiet pastimes like screen time and reading, making it an especially challenging period to get through.
When Can Kids Return to Sports and School After a Concussion?
Kids can have mood swings as part of a concussion and can also get frustrated with parents and coaches when they aren’t allowed to return to smartphones, video games, school, or sports as soon as they’d hope. Work with your child’s doctor to find out how quickly they can return to these activities. Each child’s recovery has a different timeline.
“Return to Learn After a Concussion” Plan
Rest is important when recovering from a head injury – not only for the body, but the brain as well. Because concussions temporarily change brain function, they can cause changes in kids’ ability to learn and retain information for a while.
In many moderate to severe concussions, the connection between the vision and balance centers of the brain is upset. Activities that require lots of eye movement, such as reading and using electronics, can often worsen concussion symptoms. That’s why kids who have had a concussion should rest for at least 24 hours after the injury before starting to try “brain activities” such as reading, watching TV, or doing homework. Some kids prefer a dark, quiet room during this time.
Once concussion symptoms improve when your child is at rest, following a stepwise “Return to Learn” plan is helpful. Most kids can start with short amounts of “brain activities,” then build to a few hours daily. Once these are well-tolerated, they can return to school for a half day without homework or tests. Eventually kids will be back to a full day of school and their full course load.
Many kids do need school accommodations so they don’t fall behind during this recovery. Talk with your child’s school and physician if this is the case.
“Return to Play After a Concussion” Plan
Alongside the Return to Learn plan for concussion recovery is the Return to Play plan. It doesn’t allow student athletes to return to gameplay until at least a full week after the initial injury. This may seem like a long time, but it’s important to wait it out.
They don’t necessarily have to avoid all activity, though. In fact, recent studies have shown that encouraging light exercise early on after head injury can help with their recovery. When concussion symptoms start to improve with rest, kids can start gradual increase in “light” physical activity, such as walking or stationary biking for 20 to 30 minutes at a time. After tolerating shorter periods of physical activity, kids can move on to sport-specific drills and more intensity in their exercise, still avoiding any contact sports.
Once these activities are going well without symptoms, their doctor will clear the athlete for full contact practice and then game play – this will be at least one week from the injury. If dizziness or concussion symptoms return at any point, kids must take a step back on activities to rest for at least a day. This is a sign that the brain and body need more time to recover.
Kids who aren’t in sports but do PE or general playground activities, follow the same path to return to unrestricted play. This slow return helps decrease the risk of another head injury while the child is still recovering from the first. This is important because back-to-back head injuries are the most common cause for long-term brain dysfunction following a concussion.
While most kids will feel back to normal within a few weeks, some concussions are more severe, and a full recovery can take months. If this is the case, your child may be referred to a specialist for additional medical treatment, physical therapy, or psychological support.
Concussion recovery requires support from family, coaches, school, and your child’s medical providers to ensure the safest return to learning and playing.
Resources For Parents
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Kaiser Permanente
Returning to Play After a Head Injury During a Sporting Event
American Academy of Pediatrics
Featured Author
I joined the pediatrics team at Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento to help kids thrive. A professional interest of mine is to support breastfeeding families as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). During my medical training, I also pursued a degree in public health/health promotion - a field which applies to every patient visit in pediatrics. Yet, some of my most relevant experiences as a pediatrician has come from my two children, who have “trained” me first-hand on the challenges of parenthood and in finding the balance between evidence-based recommendations and reality to achieve optimal childhood growth and development. Dr. Frost's full biography can be found on My Doctor Online. Disclaimer: If you have an emergency medical condition, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital. An emergency medical condition is any of the following: (1) a medical condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in serious jeopardy to your health or body functions or organs; (2) active labor when there isn't enough time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery, or if transfer poses a threat to your (or your unborn child's) health and safety, or (3) a mental disorder that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity such that either you are an immediate danger to yourself or others, or you are not immediately able to provide for, or use, food, shelter, or clothing, due to the mental disorder. This information is not intended to diagnose health problems or to take the place of specific medical advice or care you receive from your physician or other health care professional. If you have persistent health problems, or if you have additional questions, please consult with your doctor. If you have questions or need more information about your medication, please speak to your pharmacist. Kaiser Permanente does not endorse the medications or products mentioned. Any trade names listed are for easy identification only.