Bounce Back: The Power of Post-Impact Movement

After a heavy hit on the football field, a hard bodycheck on the ice, or any contact in sport, what athletes do in the minutes and hours that follow can strongly affect recovery and return-to-play. Immediate, purposeful movement — gentle walking, pain-free range-of-motion, light mobility drills and low-intensity sport-specific activation helps restore circulation, clear metabolic waste, reduce stiffness, and preserve neuromuscular control. Instead of freezing or prolonged immobility, light movement promotes blood flow to impacted tissues, delivers oxygen and nutrients that support repair, and helps maintain the brain–body connections needed for balance and coordination.

For suspected concussion or head impact, total rest is no longer universally recommended; graded, clinician-guided sub-symptom aerobic activity introduced early (once the athlete is medically evaluated and symptoms are stable) can reduce symptom duration and speed recovery compared with strict rest. Vestibular and oculomotor exercises, when applied by a trained clinician, accelerate recovery of balance, gaze stability and dizziness after concussion.

For musculoskeletal impacts (contusions, soft-tissue strains), early gentle range-of-motion and progressive loading prevents stiffness, limits muscle atrophy, and reduces the risk of maladaptive movement patterns that lead to secondary injury. Start with low-load mobility and aerobic work, then progress to strength, power and sport-specific drills as tolerance improves. Painful high-intensity efforts and return-to-contact should be avoided until tissue tolerance and neuromotor control are restored and medical clearance is obtained.

Practical on-field and immediate-postgame guidance

- First 0–30 minutes: safe away-from-play assessment; if cleared, encourage slow walking, light cycling on a stationary bike, controlled breathing and gentle joint mobility to restore circulation (McCrory et al., 2017).

- 30 min–72 hours: emphasis on low-intensity aerobic activity (sub-symptom), gentle mobility, and supervised vestibular/oculomotor drills if concussion symptoms permit (Leddy et al., 2019; Alsalaheen et al., 2010).

- 72 hours onward: progressively increase intensity and introduce strength/power work and sport-specific drills; reintroduce controlled contact only after neuromuscular control and symptom resolution, per individualized plan (McCrory et al., 2017).

Coaches and clinicians should build post-impact protocols that prioritize early, guided movement when safe. Short bouts of light activity on-field/ice, structured mobility sessions post-game, and individualized progressions after significant impacts can massively improve recovery times. Educating athletes to “move smart” after contact, actively recover rather than resting will reduces stiffness, preserve function, and helps return to play faster.

Sources:

1. McCrory P, Meeuwisse W, Dvořák J, et al. Consensus statement on concussion in sport — the 5th International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Berlin, October 2016. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2017;51(11):838–847. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-097699

2. Leddy JJ, Haider MN, Ellis M, Mannix R, Darling S, Willer B. Early subthreshold aerobic exercise for sport-related concussion: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Neurology. 2019;76(8):1–9. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.1476

3. Alsalaheen BA, Mucha A, Morris LO, et al. Vestibular rehabilitation for dizziness and balance disorders after concussion. Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy. 2010;34(2):87–93. doi:10.1097/NPT.0b013e3181df8a37

4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports. (Guidance on concussion recognition and management). https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/index.html