Athletes at the youth and high school level should not be allowed to return to play in the same game or practice even if all post-concussion signs or symptoms [2] clear, because of the risk of second impact syndrome (SIS), [3] which occurs when an athlete who sustains head
trauma, i.e. a traumatic brain injury - often a concussion or worse injury, such as a cerebral contusion (bruised brain) - sustains a second head injury before signs of the initial injury have cleared. Athletes suffering even a mild concussion should not to return to play for at least one week in order to allow time for evaluating and treating the concussion and for thebrain to heal.
