What to Do in the First 72 Hours After a Concussion Guide — References

This page lists the academic and web-based sources that informed the What to Do in the First 72 Hours After a Concussion. It is provided for those who wish to review the references used within the guide.

• CDC Heads Up: Signs and Symptoms of Concussion — Explains common concussion symptoms across physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep-related domains, and outlines how symptoms may appear, change, fluctuate, or signal the need for urgent medical assessment.
• Mayo Clinic: Concussion Symptoms and Causes — Overview of common concussion symptoms, including how they may present after injury, fluctuate during recovery, and fit into typical symptom patterns over time.
• Cleveland Clinic: Concussion — Covers common concussion symptoms across physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep domains, along with warning signs, symptom monitoring, recovery patterns, and factors that can influence recovery timelines.
• Better Health Channel: Head Injuries and Concussion — Patient-friendly guidance on recognising concussion symptoms, understanding early recovery, and managing the first stages after a head injury.
• NHS: Head Injury and Concussion — Supporting information on common concussion symptoms and presentation.
• CDC Heads Up: Recovery From Concussion — Sets out current concussion recovery guidance, including immediate actions after injury, relative rest, symptom monitoring, gradual return to activity, reducing symptom aggravation, and ongoing recovery management during the first 72 hours and beyond.
• Concussion Alliance: Immediate Care After a Concussion — Recommendations regarding immediate management and removal from activity.
• Mayo Clinic: First Aid for Head Trauma — First aid guidance following a head injury.
• Complete Concussions: Six Essential Steps to Take Immediately After a Concussion — Additional practical recommendations following injury.
• Pro Sports Medicine: Six Essential Steps to Take Immediately After a Concussion Injury — Supporting guidance on early concussion management.
• Mayo Clinic: Concussion Diagnosis and Treatment — Explains concussion assessment, early management, balancing rest with gradual return to activity, and when follow-up care may be needed if symptoms continue.
• Concussion Alliance: Recovery Guide — A practical recovery guide covering early concussion management, activity pacing, relative rest, symptom monitoring, screen use, staged recovery expectations, and gradual progression of physical and cognitive activity during the first days and weeks after injury.
• Complete Concussions: What to Do After a Concussion — Additional discussion of symptom-guided activity during recovery.
• Providence Health: Concussion Symptom Tracking Form — A practical symptom-monitoring template that informed the guide’s symptom tracking, review tools, and worksheet structure across the early recovery sections.
• CDC: Recovery Tips Following Traumatic Brain Injury — Practical guidance on early concussion recovery, including symptom monitoring, fatigue management, pacing activity, and self-management strategies used to shape the recovery advice and planning tools.
• University Hospitals: Concussion Symptom Score Sheet — Supporting symptom tracking tool.
• MyHealth Alberta: Adult Concussion Care Instructions — Practical guidance for the first days after concussion, including sleep, driving, medication use, and general recovery advice.
• UAMS Health: Is It Safe to Sleep if You Have a Concussion? — Guidance addressing sleep-related concerns following concussion.
• University of Rochester Medical Center: Can You Sleep With a Concussion? — Information on sleep safety and monitoring after concussion.
• Concussion Alliance: Sleep and Sleep Problems — Information on sleep disturbances following concussion.
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: How Sleep Affects Concussion Recovery — Supporting information on sleep and recovery.
• Complete Concussions: Concussion Recovery Diet and Hydration — Information on hydration and symptom management during recovery.
• University of Michigan: Nutrition Recommendations for a Concussion — Guidance on hydration and nutrition during recovery.
• MedlinePlus: Concussion Care Instructions — General recovery guidance including hydration recommendations.
• Broadview Health Centre: Diet for Concussion Recovery — Supporting information on hydration and recovery.
• JAMA Pediatrics: Early Screen Time Following Concussion — Research examining screen use during early concussion recovery.
• Complete Concussions: Does Screen Time Affect Concussion Recovery? — Discusses how screen exposure can aggravate symptoms during concussion recovery and why screen tolerance may need to be adjusted in the early stages.
• News Medical: Limited Screen Use May Support Concussion Recovery Process — Summary of recent evidence regarding screen exposure during recovery.
• Headway: The Uneasy Relationship Between Alcohol and Brain Injury — Information on alcohol use following brain injury.
• CDC: What to Do After a Mild TBI or Concussion — Practical guidance on concussion recovery, symptom monitoring, safety precautions, follow-up care, and returning to daily activities after a mild traumatic brain injury.
• MSKTC: Alcohol and Traumatic Brain Injury Factsheet — Information on risks associated with alcohol after brain injury.
• DriveFit: Driving After a Concussion — Discussion of factors affecting driving ability after concussion.
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Concussion Worksheet Log — Example recovery tracking structure used to inform planner design.
• Impact Applications: Post-Concussion Symptom Scale — Symptom categories and tracking concepts used in workbook development.
• Safety OPHEA: Sample Concussion Symptom Awareness Tool — Additional symptom monitoring concepts.
• Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire — Supporting symptom tracking framework.
• Lone Star Neurology: Concussion Care Recovery Timeline and When to See a Neurologist — Outlines the early phases of concussion recovery, explains how activity progression typically unfolds in the first days and weeks, and highlights when neurological review may be appropriate if symptoms are not improving as expected.
• University of Michigan Health: Concussion Treatment and Recovery — Explains recovery progression, symptom expectations, and return-to-activity planning after concussion.
• CDC Heads Up: Returning to Sports — Guidance on gradual return to activity and staged progression following concussion.
• ANZ Concussion Guidelines: Return to Activity — Guidance on symptom-guided activity progression and determining safe activity levels during concussion recovery.
• MyHealth Alberta: Return to Exercise After Concussion — Practical guidance on reintroducing activity during recovery.
• American College of Sports Medicine: Exercise and Concussion Recovery — Discussion of exercise during concussion recovery.
• Concussion Foundation: Action Plan After Sustaining a Concussion — Guidance on early concussion management, activity progression, and practical recovery planning after injury.
• MyHealth Alberta: Pacing and Energy Conservation — Guidance on pacing and managing fatigue following concussion.
• Brain Injury Association of America: Fatigue After Brain Injury — Information on fatigue management following brain injury.
• Sway Medical: Concussion Fatigue Recovery Tips — Additional information on fatigue management during recovery.
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: How Brain Rest Works in Concussion Recovery — Information on cognitive activity and recovery.
• Concussion Alliance: Cognitive Rehabilitation — Information on cognitive symptoms and mental workload following concussion.
• MedBridge: Cognitive Fatigue and Concussion Recovery — Discussion of cognitive fatigue and workload management.
• Rethink Speech Therapy: Managing Concussion Symptoms and Cognitive Overload — Supporting information on cognitive exertion and symptom management.
• Neurology Journal: Recovery Trajectories Following Concussion — Research examining symptom variation and recovery patterns.
• Plasticity Centers: Why Concussion Symptoms Fluctuate Day to Day — Discussion of symptom variability during recovery.
• Concussions Ontario: Return to Activity, Work and School Considerations — Guidance on balancing activity demands with recovery, including workplace and educational adjustments during concussion recovery.
• PhysioPedia: Assessment and Management of Concussion — Supporting information on activity tolerance and symptom response.
• CDC Patient Discharge Instructions Following Concussion — Guidance on activity monitoring and recovery planning.
• Recovering From Concussion Patient Guide (Canterbury District Health Board) — Activity planning and self-monitoring concepts used to inform worksheet design.
• Kaiser Permanente: Concussion Individual Care Plan — Recovery planning framework used to inform workbook and worksheet development.
• Luminis Health: Concussion Flow Sheet — Supporting recovery tracking concepts.
• Teen Concussion Recovery Printable — Recovery reflection, planning, and self-management concepts used to inform the workbook exercises and recovery planning tools.
• Nationwide Children's Hospital: Return to Learn — Guidance on gradually returning to school and balancing academic demands during concussion recovery.
• Healthcare Utah: Healing From a Concussion — Supporting information on gradual recovery progression.
• British Columbia Concussion Guideline — Guidance on avoiding prolonged inactivity following concussion.
• Aspire Physiotherapy: Recovery Phases — Information on activity progression and the stages of recovery beyond the acute phase of concussion.
• Mass General Brigham: Concussion and Screen Time — Information on screen use and symptom aggravation after concussion.
• UMass Medical School: Limiting Screen Time Following Concussion — Research-based discussion of screen exposure during early recovery.
• TheraSpecs: Screen Time After Concussion — Supporting information on visual symptoms and screen exposure.
• 2 Minute Medicine: Avoiding Screen Time After Concussion — Summary of research examining screen exposure and recovery.
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Concussion Myths and Facts — Information addressing common concussion misconceptions.
• UT Southwestern Medical Center: Concussion Myths and Reality — Discussion of common recovery myths.
• HealthPartners: Five Misconceptions About Concussion — Information on common misunderstandings about concussion recovery.
• Vanderbilt Health: Acute Concussion Care Myths and Facts — Additional discussion of recovery misconceptions.
• Brain Injury Association of America: Seven Common Myths About Brain Injury — Supporting information on recovery myths.
• NHS Inform: Concussion — Guidance on symptom awareness, recovery monitoring, and when emergency medical assessment may be needed.
• Neurotrauma Centers: Monitoring Concussion Symptoms at Home — Supporting information on symptom observation and recovery monitoring.
• Johns Hopkins Medicine: Head Injury — Additional information on symptom monitoring following head injury.
• Concussion Alliance: Mental Health and Concussion — Information on the relationship between concussion recovery and mental wellbeing.
• American Psychological Association: Improving Concussion Treatment — Discusses the psychological factors that can shape concussion recovery, including anxiety, recovery expectations, patient-centred care, and the importance of realistic planning and support during rehabilitation.
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Concussion and Mental Health — Information on emotional responses following concussion.
• Complete Concussions: Concussion and Anxiety — Discussion of anxiety and recovery experiences following concussion.
• California Brain & Spine: Post-Concussion Anxiety Treatment — Supporting information on anxiety-related recovery behaviours.
• Complete Concussions: Three Tools Patients Can Use During Recovery — Additional recovery planning concepts.
• Cognitive FX: Post-Concussion Syndrome Recovery Tips — Supporting recovery planning concepts.
• Henry Ford Health: Concussion Symptoms and Signs — Information on recovery expectations following concussion.
• CanChild: Return to Activity Guideline — Information on structured activity progression following concussion.
• Mass General Hospital: Return-to-Sport Concussion Protocol — Supporting guidance regarding activity progression.
• Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne: Return to Sport Following Head Injury — Additional guidance on activity progression.
• CDC Heads Up: Returning to School After a Concussion — Information on academic adjustments during recovery.
• RACGP: Supporting Return to Study and Return to Work Following Concussion — Guidance on work and study reintegration.
• British Columbia Medical Journal: Concussions and Return-to-Work Considerations — Supporting workplace guidance.
• CHEO Post-Concussion Care Guide — Information on follow-up care and recovery management.
• ACC: Concussion Education Sheet — Practical guidance on early concussion management, follow-up care, and recovery monitoring after concussion.
• MSKTC: Concussion Recovery Factsheet — Additional information on recovery expectations and ongoing care.
• Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials: Six Stages of Concussion Recovery — Discussion of progression through recovery stages.
• Brown Health: Concussion Recovery and Returning to Normal Activity — Information on recovery progression and activity tolerance.
• HeadSmart Schools NZ: Recovery Process After 48 Hours — Supporting information regarding recovery progression.
• Brain Injury Association of America: Getting Better After a Concussion — Information on realistic recovery expectations and recovery planning.
• Complete Concussions: Concussion Recovery Time — Discussion of recovery timelines and expectations.
• Movement Theory: Coping Strategies and Wellness Tips for Concussion Recovery — Supporting guidance on goal setting and recovery planning.
• UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital: Concussion Care Plan — Recovery planning concepts used to inform workbook development.
• CDC Returning to School Resource — Activity planning and recovery monitoring concepts used in worksheet development.
• PedsConcussion Post-Concussion Information Sheet — Supporting recovery planning concepts.
• Concussion Guidebook — Additional recovery planning and self-management concepts.
• CHOC Road to Recovery Guide — Supporting information on concussion recovery stages.
• Sway Medical: When to Go to the Emergency Department for Concussion — Supporting information on red flag symptoms.
• Queensland Health: Minor Head Injury Advice Sheet — Additional emergency warning guidance.
• Cognitive FX: Post-Concussion Symptom Tracker — Symptom tracking concepts used to inform workbook development.
• Cornerstone Physiotherapy: Daily Concussion Symptom Log — Additional symptom tracking concepts.
• Nationwide Children's Hospital: A Parent's Guide to Concussions — Practical guidance on recognising concussion symptoms, monitoring recovery, and managing the early stages after injury.
• Starship Children's Health: Concussion Guideline — Supporting concussion management advice.
• Moody Neurorehabilitation: Six Stages of Concussion Recovery — Discussion of progression through recovery phases.
• Lone Star Neurology: Recovery From Concussion — Supporting information regarding ongoing recovery.
• American Academy of Family Physicians: Current Concepts in Concussion Management — Reviews modern concussion recovery principles, including early management, symptom progression, prolonged symptoms, and when further clinical assessment may be needed.
• PM&R KnowledgeNow: Sports Concussion — Supporting guidance on ongoing management and referral considerations.
• CDC Heads Up: About Concussion — General concussion education and recovery principles.
• American Association of Neurological Surgeons: Concussion — Information on concussion recovery and management.
• American Brain Foundation: Post-Concussion Tips and Steps in Preventing Brain Trauma — Recovery and prevention guidance.
• CDC School Recovery Resources — Recovery planning and monitoring concepts used to inform workbook development.
• Concussion Action Plan — Recovery planning framework used to inform workbook exercises.
• Parachute Canada Return-to-Work Guide — Recovery planning concepts used to inform next-step planning.
• New Brunswick Trauma Program Post-Concussion Checklist — Supporting checklist concepts.
• Newport Orthopaedic Concussion Clinic Checklist — Additional recovery review concepts.