Returning back to activities after concussion

In the first few days to weeks after your concussion, you will need to rest and avoid any heavy exercise or activity. As you start to feel better, it is important to gradually go back to your normal activities within a few days to weeks of your injury. This is a very important part of getting better.

Once your symptoms start to improve, you can begin to do more. It is very important to go back to your normal activities gradually. Trying to do all of the things that you would normally do at once can cause your symptoms to come back or worsen.

Try these tips to help you go back to your usual activities:

• Start by doing just a little. If you feel okay, then you can try to do a bit more for longer periods of time. Just try not to do everything all at once.
  
  
• If your symptoms come back or get stronger as you start to do more activity, this is a sign that you are pushing yourself too hard. Pushing through your symptoms can slow down how quickly you get better. You will need to stop and take a break from what you are doing and slow down even more for a while.
  
  
• Your goal is to increase your level of activity in a way that does not cause symptoms to get stronger or last too long. The Parkwood Pacing Graphs explains activity pacing in more detail.
  
  
• Use Energy Conservation Techniques. Prioritize what’s most important to you. Plan your day. Give yourself extra time to do things and take rests. Remember to stop and rest before you get tired.
  
  
• Listen to your body. Try to figure out what tasks take up a lot of energy or make your symptoms worse. This can help you make changes to help you feel better. See if there are better times of the day to do things. Using an activity monitoring log can help. Learn more about using an activity log »

See your doctor or health-care provider if you having trouble increasing your activity.