Signs that need emergency care include: neck pain, double vision, weakness or tingling/burning in the arms or legs, seizure or convulsion, loss of consciousness, a deteriorating conscious state, repeated vomiting, a severe or increasing headache, or increasing restlessness, agitation or confusion.
Recovering from a concussion is a staged process with real checkpoints along the way. This guide walks you through every step of the AFL and AIS return to play protocols, tracks your progress day by day, and holds the line on the gates that keep you safe.
Set up in a minute. Enter the concussion date, pick your protocol, and the pathway builds itself around you.
Check in each day. Log how each session felt. The guide progresses you when you are ready and holds you back when you are not.
Clear the gates. Real checkpoints, a GP clearance step, and a day 21 minimum. No shortcuts, because there are none in concussion recovery.
Athletes, parents, coaches and clinicians managing a concussion in community sport. It suits Australian Football and, through the AIS framework, any other sport. It works alongside whoever is providing your care, whether that is MHCG or your own doctor or clinician.
This guide is educational. It does not diagnose concussion and it cannot clear anyone to play. Diagnosis and clearance are decisions for a doctor. If symptoms are severe or getting worse, seek medical care now.
A step-by-step guide through recovery after concussion — from rest, through recovery and graded loading, to a safe return to sport. It follows the checkpoints in the AFL and AIS community protocols and won't let you skip them.
Athlete/parent mode guides you day by day and locks anything that needs a clinician.
Not sure? For Australian Football use the AFL protocol. For other sports, or if your clinician has told you to follow the AIS framework, choose AIS. Your clinician can advise.
Privacy: everything you enter is processed and stored on this device only. Nothing is sent to MHCG or anyone else. Clearing your browser data removes it. You can download a backup of your plan at any time from the dashboard, and restore it here on a new device.
Keep a copy for the club and your own records. The concussion date matters for managing any future head knock.
Most people return without a hitch. Keep an eye on three things over the coming weeks:
1. Symptoms with head knocks. Headache, fogginess, dizziness or feeling "off" after a bump, even a small one.
2. Delayed symptoms. Concussion symptoms can surface hours or a day after a knock, not just straight away.
3. A lower threshold. Getting concussed by smaller impacts than before is a warning sign that needs proper review, not a normal part of the game.
A second concussion in the same season, or a third within 12 months, calls for a slower and more conservative recovery next time, guided by a doctor with concussion expertise. Note the date, tell any new clinician or club, and treat the next head knock with respect.
Whether it is a niggle you are unsure about, a fresh knock, or planning for next season, MHCG is here. If you are under another clinician's care, they should be your first call.