Returning to sport after a concussion can be confusing. If you have been diagnosed with a concussion, it’s important that you follow the return-to-play guidelines. Learn more about these guidelines and how they can help you make an informed decision on if its safe for you to play again.
Returning to Sport following Concussion
After being diagnosed with a concussion, many athletes want to get back to playing sport as quickly as they can. So, why has the AFL recently changed their policy for both professional and community AFL players to requiring a minimum of 12 days recovery before returning to play a concussion injury?
Recent research shows that it takes longer for the brain to heal from concussion than what was previously thought. Health professionals who treat concussion now understand that it is important to give the brain the time that it needs to heal from a concussion, much the same as you would give another injury like a torn calf time to heal before returning to playing sport.
For some players, they may feel symptom free, even when exercising, before the 12 days are up, so are tempted to return to playing then. Playing sport is a demanding activity for a brain – the brain has to control moving the body around, make decisions during play as well as many other tasks, all at a high heart rate and quick speed. Making the brain work at this demanding level when it hasn’t fully recovered may slow concussion recovery and even cause more symptoms. Similarly, if a player returned to playing when their torn calf hadn’t fully healed, they could easily re-injure their calf. In the instance of concussion, another knock to the head whilst the brain is still healing can cause a worsening of symptoms and take longer to recover from. In some rare instances, it can result in death.
The tricky question is – how do we know if someone has recovered from concussion? The current best way to test this in the community is by checking whether a person who has sustained a concussion has any symptoms during their day to day life and when they exercise. There is a specific sequence of exercise testing steps that a concussed player must complete before returning to sport. At each testing phase the player must be symptom free to pass and move on to the next phase, until they are cleared for returning to play.
These steps, which are outlined in the AFL Concussion Management Guidelines are:
- A brief period of complete physical and cognitive rest (24-48 hours).
- A period of symptom-limited activity (e.g., reading, walking) to allow full recovery.
- A graded aerobic exercise loading program (with monitoring).
- Introduction of sports specific skills and resistance training (with monitoring)
- Clearance by a medical doctor (prior to returning to competitive contact sport / full contact training sessions).
At Symmetry Physiotherapy, Megan Hamilton is a Physiotherapist experienced in assessing and treating concussion. She is able to guide patients through a graded exercise recovery program and complete exercise testing such as a Treadmill Test to determine readiness to return to play following concussion. Megan can liaise with her patient’s treating doctor to help them in decision making to give clearance to return to play once recovered.
AFL Return to Play Medical Clearance Form
AFL Return to Play Following concussion Checklist