Every athlete who is diagnosed with a concussion, once they are cleared by a doctor, MUST perform the Return to Play (RTP) protocol. The athlete must present written clearance to the athletic trainer in order to begin. This progression must be completed before the athlete is allowed to return to their sport. It is a 5 step process and goes as follows:
Step 1: Light Aerobic Exercise (i.e. walking or stationary bike at slow to medium pace,no resistance training)
Step 2: Sport Specific Exercise (i.e. running drills, no head impact activities)
Step 3: Non-contact training (i.e. harder training drills, passing drills, may start progressive resistance training)
Step 4: Full contact practice (i.e. participate in normal training activities)
Step 5: Return to play/sport (i.e. normal game play)
(*Swimmers RTP will vary slightly)
There must be 24 hours in between each step (or longer) of the progression. If any symptoms develop while exercising, the athlete will complete the previous step the next day.