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The Medical Room

Concussion Protocol

The football concussion protocol explained: SCAT6 sideline assessment, heading and subconcussive load, and the six graduated steps back to full contact.

Protocol

Fourth official board and a head injury assessment clipboard pitchside
Concussion Protocol Protocol

The Football Concussion Protocol: How It Works

A head injury assessment, a temporary substitute and a minimum rest window. The football concussion protocol, step by step, in plain English.

2026-09-24

Assessment

Balance testing equipment and a stopwatch on a treatment table
Concussion Protocol Assessment

SCAT6 and the Sideline Assessment: How a Head Knock Is Graded

Balance, gaze, immediate memory and delayed recall. What the SCAT6 actually measures and what it cannot tell a team doctor.

2026-09-17
Training bibs stacked on a bench in an empty changing room
Concussion Protocol Assessment

Concussion Return to Play: The Graduated Steps

Light activity, running, non-contact training, contact, full training, match. Six steps, each separated by rest, and none of them negotiable.

2026-09-05

Heading

A football in flight above an empty training pitch goal
Concussion Protocol Heading

Heading the Ball: Subconcussive Impact and Monitoring

A header is not a concussion. Repeated thousands of times across a career, it is still an exposure clubs now count and dose deliberately.

2026-09-11