Recovery
advice
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Following the latest advice gives you the best chance of an early recovery and reduced complications.
What does recovery look like?
Most people recover well from a concussion – but recovery time can vary. Young people, especially teenagers, often recover more slowly than adults.
If you’re still experiencing symptoms after a few weeks, it doesn’t mean you’re “failing” at recovery. It simply means your brain needs more healing time, and there is a lot you can do to support recovery.
The first 24-48 hours
For the first 24-48 hours, your brain needs time and energy to focus on healing. Here are some ways you can help the healing process:
Limit screen time
Scrolling through your phone or playing video games while recovering from the concussion is the same as running a marathon with a sprained ankle. Avoid them entirely, if possible, in the first day or two.
Sleep well and prioritise rest
You may feel you need more rest than usual. This is normal. Take naps and listen to your body, but don’t sleep all day.
Break up activities
Do tasks in short bursts with plenty of breaks.
Monitor symptoms
If symptoms suddenly get worse, or you notice any red flag symptoms, seek medical help immediately.
Engage in light everyday activities
Try taking short walks, reading (if tolerated), and spending time in a calming environment.
Red flag warning signs
Seek urgent medical care (call 111 or go to A&E) if you notice:
- Loss of consciousness for more than 1 minute
- One pupil larger than the other
- Repeated vomiting, seizures, or severe headache
- Worsening confusion, drowsiness, or personality changes
- Clear fluid or blood from the nose or ears
- Slurred speech, weakness, or loss of coordination
- In children: inconsolable crying, refusal to feed, bulging soft spot (infants), or cannot be woken
After 48 hours
Gradual mental and physical loading
It’s recommended that you take a controlled loading approach to recovery. This means that you add on activities gradually, so that you’re stimulating the brain as you work to get back to your preinjury self. It’s about finding the balance between doing too much too soon and doing too little. Too much activity too soon can slow progress but so can doing too little. Research shows that gentle, gradual activity — both mental and physical — helps the brain recover more effectively than complete rest. In fact, complete rest can delay recovery.
Start with light aerobic exercise that aims to increase the heart rate like walking. Make sure to walk on even ground, as you may being experiencing issues with balance. Over the coming weeks, gradually increase the intensity and duration of the exercise until your regular physical activities are tolerated.
At this stage of recovery, you should also start to add in some light cognitive tasks like reading, screentime, and schoolwork. Take this slowly and rest when your symptoms start to get significantly aggravated. During this phase, it is common that symptoms will worsen slightly with more thinking and physical activity, and that’s okay.
Recovering from a concussion is a bit like recovering from a sprained ankle. At first, rest is important. But if you keep the ankle completely still for too long, it stiffens and takes longer to heal. The best recovery comes when you start moving it gently, even if it feels a little uncomfortable. Your brain works the same way.
Managing the load: The symptom scale
How it works
Use the Symptom Scale to help you introduce physical and mental activities at a pace that supports healing and recovery.
- Score your symptoms from 1-10 before you begin the activity. One being no or very minimal symptoms and ten being unbearable symptoms.
- As you try the activity, note what level your symptoms push up to. Allow the symptoms to increase by up to three levels. If it goes above that, you should stop that level of activity and allow yourself more time to rest. If the symptoms have not been nudged up by at least 2 levels, try to do a bit more next time. Increase the duration, intensity or complexity.
No symptoms
0/10
Moderate symptoms
Worst symptoms
10/10
No symptoms
0/10
Moderate symptoms
Worst symptoms
10/10
Concussion recovery overview video
The CLARITY video, created by clinicians and researchers, clearly explains concussion recovery and is designed to be easy to watch, even if watching a screen is difficult for you.
The importance of exercise for recovery
Research shows that aerobic exercise is plays a vital role in helping your brain to recover from a concussion.
When we exercise Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BNDF) levels increase in the brain, because BNDF production correlates to heart intensity. BNDF is a protein that plays a crucial role in the brain’s health function. It is part of the neurotrophin family of growth factors, which are essential for the survival, development, and function of neurons. Think of BDNF as a fertiliser for the brain.
Gradual return to work,
school and sport.
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A concussion or brain injury can affect your ability to work. Whether you’ve taken time off or stayed at work, every recovery is different. Every brain is different, and healing happens at its own pace.
Check out our Return to Work page for advice and support on a successful return to work.
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