Concussion
Brief Rest, Then a Gradual Return
General information from an emergency physician. It adds to your discharge papers and does not replace them or your own doctor. What this site is and isn’t
Key Takeaways:
- A concussion changes how the brain works and may not appear on a scan.
- Strict rest can slow recovery. Brief relative rest followed by gentle activity works better.
- Worsening neurologic symptoms need immediate reassessment.
About Your Diagnosis & ED Workup
A concussion is an injury to how the brain works. It is not a break or bleed that must appear on a scan.
CT is used to look for bleeding that may need surgery. It does not confirm a concussion or predict recovery time.
Symptoms can include headache, dizziness, nausea, light or noise sensitivity, slowed thinking, mood changes, and sleep changes. A person does not need to lose consciousness.
Concussions can follow falls, crashes, assault, or sports. About 81% of concussions in children under eight are not sports-related.
First Steps & Evidence-Based Home Care
For the first 24 to 72 hours, use relative rest. Reduce hard physical and mental work, but do not stay completely inactive in a dark room.
After that, add gentle activity. Any symptom increase should stay mild and brief: no more than 2 points on a 0-to-10 scale and no longer than one hour. Scale back when activity crosses either limit.
Avoid alcohol during recovery because it can slow recovery and hide symptoms.
A responsible adult should stay with the injured person for the first 24 hours and watch for warning signs. Scheduled nighttime wake-ups have not been shown to help.
Do not drive for at least 24 to 72 hours. Return gradually only when symptoms and medicines do not impair driving.
Do not return to contact sports on the same day.
Timeline & Expected Recovery Course
Average symptom recovery is about 14 days, but recovery varies.
About 70% to 80% of children recover within one to three months. Roughly 30% still have symptoms after 28 days.
Most children can return to school within two to three days with adjustments as needed.
Symptoms can persist even after a normal scan. Between 16% and 30% have symptoms lasting longer than one month.
Early gentle activity shortens recovery compared with prolonged strict rest.
Return to sport uses a stepwise plan. Each stage lasts at least 24 hours, and medical clearance is required before unrestricted return.
Emergency Red Flags (When to Return Immediately)
Return to the emergency department immediately for any of these. This list is not exhaustive.
- Becoming harder to wake or unusually drowsy.
- A worsening or severe headache.
- Repeated vomiting or a seizure.
- New weakness, numbness, slurred speech, or double vision.
- Unequal pupils, marked confusion, or a major behavior change.
- Clear fluid from the nose or ear.
In older adults, a slow bleed can appear weeks to months later, even after a normal early CT. Return for new confusion, increasing sleepiness, worsening headache, falls, trouble walking, weakness, speech trouble, or seizure.
Reviewed September 3, 2026