Russell Wilson is at practice, but will he play on Sunday? Get to know the NFL's five-step concussion protocol
Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson stretched and tossed some passes on the field before team drills at practice Wednesday.
Wilson is in the concussion protocol after getting knocked out of Denver's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend.
When an NFL player suffers a concussion, there is a five-step protocol that needs to be followed before that player can return to play.
Keep in mind that every player and every concussion is different, so there's no set time frame for a particular player can get back on the field after being knocked out of a game, For some, it's just a few days, for others, it can be a few weeks ... or in severe cases even months.
The five steps to return to participation in an NFL game are as follows:
- Symptom limited activity
- Aerobic activity
- Football specific activity
- Team non- contact drills and training
- Full activity
Right off the bat, the player is closely monitored on a daily basis, and in some cases, several times per day. The player will take the first step, then is allowed to progress to the next if there is no return of signs or symptoms. If a player moves advances to the step anywhere in the protocol, but then starts to have worsening of symptoms, or a setback, he moves back to the previous step in the protocol.
Here's more detail on the steps:
Limited activity basically means modified rest. Some light activity, and avoiding a lot of screen time, loud noises, and bright lights. It's thought of as a period of "brain rest." Some stretching and non strenuous balance exercises can be allowed. Occasionally, a player can do things such as ride a stationary bike with no resistance for a short period.
Aerobic activity means 20 minutes of stationary cycling or slow jogging on a treadmill with increasing resistance. The player is usually allowed to attend team meetings and watch film.
Football specific activities generally include about 30 minutes of cone drills and strictly supervised light strength training.
Non-contact football activities. This includes throwing, catching, running routes, but NO contact.
No restriction. The player is thought to be good to go after clearance by team doctors and an independent neurologic consultant. In the middle of all of these steps, the player undergoes neurologic/behavioral testing, which is compared to the testing done pre-season.
Any decision to allow a player to head back to the world of helmet crunching is also based on a player's health history, concussion history and other medical factors. It's a decision not taken lightly and based on a protocol that is universally used around the league.
Once again, there's no predicting how long the five steps will take to complete, as well as how long each step will take. That's the case with Wilson as Denver prepares for a meeting with the Arizona Cardinals at home on Sunday.
"In the end, (Wilson's) safety is what matters most to us," first-year Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett said. "We want to be sure that we're taking care of him and his well-being, and we're doing what's right for Russell. It always starts right away with the medical department. We've got a really good medical department, independent neurologists.
"We're going to be sure we're in constant communication with them. He's being monitored by everybody. We'll go from there. We'll talk with him and it will be an organizational decision."
