Melbourne Headache + Concussion Group
Managing a Concussion: Your Roadmap to Recovery
A concussion can affect far more than your ability to play sport.
Headaches, dizziness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and changes in your tolerance for everyday activities can make recovery challenging. Knowing what to do next helps you make informed decisions.
This guide explains the early stages of recovery, returning to school, work and exercise, and when further clinical assessment may be helpful.
Assessment, individualised rehabilitation and a gradual return to activity.
Recent head injury? Know when to seek urgent care.
Seek urgent medical attention for a severe or worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizure, increasing confusion, difficulty waking, weakness, new double vision, significant neck pain or a deterioration in the person's condition after a head injury.
Call 000 for an ambulance if emergency assistance is required. Do not delay urgent medical care to use an online screening tool or book a clinic appointment. A suspected concussion should receive prompt medical assessment, even when emergency warning signs are absent.
Your recovery pathway
What should you do after a concussion?
Recovery is not simply a matter of complete rest until every symptom disappears. Following medical assessment, a brief period of relative rest is generally followed by a gradual return to appropriate daily activity, tailored to symptoms and the risk of another injury.
Immediately after injury
Stop the activity. If concussion is suspected during sport, do not return to play that day. Arrange medical assessment and monitor for worsening symptoms. Avoid activities with a risk of another head impact.
The first 24 to 48 hours
Focus on relative rest rather than prolonged bed rest or complete isolation. Short periods of gentle daily activity and limited screen use may be appropriate if tolerated. Prioritise sleep, meals and hydration.
Gradually rebuild activity
As guided by your treating clinician, progressively increase low-risk physical and thinking activities. Mild, temporary symptoms may occur. Adjust the activity if symptoms worsen significantly or remain aggravated afterwards.
Return to everyday life
Gradually build up school, work and exercise with temporary adjustments where needed. Returning to contact sport is a separate process requiring a graduated protocol and appropriate medical clearance.
Recovery is individual. The right pace depends on your symptoms, functional capacity, clinical findings and the activities you are returning to.
Everyday recovery
Managing common concussion symptoms
Different symptoms may require different assessment and management approaches. A tailored plan considers your full presentation rather than assuming there is a single cause.
Headaches and neck pain
Headache following concussion may involve several contributing factors. Cervical injury, migraine and other headache disorders may need to be considered during assessment.
Dizziness and visual symptoms
Balance problems, dizziness, visual motion sensitivity or difficulty with busy environments may prompt vestibular or ocular motor assessment and, where indicated, targeted rehabilitation.
Fatigue and concentration
Shorter periods of demanding activity, planned breaks and gradual increases in workload may help you return to daily tasks as tolerance improves.
Everyday life
Returning to school and work
You do not always have to be completely symptom-free before returning to suitable school or work activities. A gradual, supported return may involve shorter days, breaks, reduced workloads or quieter environments.
Children and adolescents should be supported to return to learning before unrestricted return to sport. Driving, machinery, heights and work with a risk of another head injury require particular care and appropriate medical guidance.
Discuss Your Recovery PlanBuild up your usual activities in manageable stages.
Physical activity
Returning to exercise and sport
Light aerobic exercise and return to contact sport are different stages of recovery.
Return to exercise
Low-risk walking, stationary cycling or other light aerobic activities may be introduced when clinically appropriate, then progressed according to your symptoms and tolerance. Further assessment, including an exertional test, may be useful for some patients.
Return to contact sport
Do not return to play on the day of a suspected concussion. Australian community and youth sport guidance includes at least 14 days symptom-free at rest before contact training and a minimum of 21 days after injury before competitive contact sport. The rules of your sport, individual medical advice and required medical clearance also apply.
When recovery takes longer
Still experiencing symptoms?
Headaches, dizziness, fatigue, visual sensitivity or exercise intolerance that persist or worsen warrant appropriate medical review and an individualised assessment.
Understanding your symptoms
Further assessment may consider headache disorders, neck function, vestibular and ocular motor issues, sleep, exertional tolerance and other relevant factors.
Individualised rehabilitation
Depending on findings, a clinician may recommend graded aerobic exercise, vestibular rehabilitation, cervical care, activity adjustments or referral for further medical review.
If symptoms are stopping you from returning to usual activities or are not improving, seek further assessment rather than relying on rest alone.
Our clinical approach
How MHCG can support your recovery
At Melbourne Headache + Concussion Group, we provide structured clinical assessment and individualised concussion management in Williamstown.
Depending on your presentation, we may assess balance, vestibular and ocular motor function, the cervical spine and exercise tolerance, using suitable clinical and objective tools. No single test can diagnose or exclude concussion.
We discuss appropriate rehabilitation, returning to school, work or sport, and coordination with your GP or other healthcare professionals where indicated.
Structured assessment and individualised management.
Frequently asked questions
Concussion recovery FAQs
Should I rest completely after a concussion?
Relative rest for the first 24 to 48 hours is generally recommended, rather than prolonged complete rest. Resume appropriate low-risk activities gradually according to medical advice and your symptoms.
Can I use my phone or watch television?
Screen use may need to be reduced in the first 48 hours, especially if it aggravates symptoms. It can usually be increased gradually as tolerated.
Can I exercise while recovering?
Light, low-risk aerobic exercise may be appropriate after the initial period of relative rest. Contact sport follows a separate graduated pathway and requires the applicable clearance.
Can I return to work while I still have symptoms?
A gradual return to suitable duties may be possible before complete symptom resolution. Safety-critical tasks require specific medical guidance.
What if my symptoms are not improving?
Arrange medical review. Persistent symptoms may warrant targeted rehabilitation or multidisciplinary assessment depending on your individual presentation.
Can an online tool replace clinical assessment?
No. An online tool may provide educational screening information but cannot diagnose concussion or rule out a serious head injury.
Melbourne Headache + Concussion Group
Your recovery deserves an individualised plan.
Whether you have recently experienced a concussion or are still experiencing symptoms weeks later, our team can help you understand your clinical findings and plan your next steps.
95 Douglas Parade, Williamstown VIC 3016
(03) 9397 8877
General educational information only. Management should be based on individual clinical assessment and appropriate medical advice.
Australian Sports Commission: Concussion in Sport | Healthdirect: Concussion