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. 2023 Aug;19(3):269-276.
doi: 10.1177/15563316231177207. Epub 2023 Jun 13.

The National Football League Concussion Protocol: A Review

Jaclyn Jacobi  1 , Erin B Wasserman  2 , Christina D Mack  2 , Morgan Heinzelmann  3 , Javier Cárdenas  4 , Robb Rehberg  5   6 , Gary Solomon  6 , Allen Sills  6 , Bert Vargas  7
Affiliations

The National Football League Concussion Protocol: A Review

Jaclyn Jacobi et al. HSS J. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Sport-related concussion remains an area of high concern for contact sport athletes and their families, as well as for the medical and scientific communities. The National Football League (NFL), along with the NFL Players Association and experts in the field, has developed protocols for the detection and management of sport-related concussions. This article reviews the NFL's most recent concussion protocol including preseason education and baseline testing for players, concussion surveillance by gameday medical teams and neurotrauma consultants and athletic trainers, gameday concussion protocol and procedures, and return to participation guidelines.

Keywords: concussion; football; sports medicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: J.J., MD, and M.H., MD, report no potential conflicts of interest. C.M., PhD, MSPH, and E.B.W, PhD, are full-time employees of IQVIA, which is a paid research consultancy with the National Football League. J.C., MD, R.R., PhD, ATC, and G.S., PhD, are paid consultants to the NFL Player Health and Safety Department. A.S., MD, is a salaried employee of the National Football League. B.V., MD, is a contracted neurotrauma expert for Global Medical Response and a compensated member of the NFL’s Head, Neck and Spine Committee. He is a full-time employee of Eli Lilly and owns stock in the company; however, the content of this article reflects his own work as a subject-matter expert and is not affiliated in any manner with Eli Lilly.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
The NFL’s Concussion Game Day Checklist. NFL National Football League, UNC unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant, SCAT Sport Concussion Assessment Tool, ATC Athletic Trainer Certified, LOC loss of consciousness.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
The NFL’s return-to-participation protocol. NFL National Football League, ATC Athletic Trainer Certified, LOC loss of consciousness.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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