Most settle within two weeks. Prolonged complete rest slows recovery, and returning to sport too early is the real risk.
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Concussion is a temporary disturbance of brain function caused by a blow to the head or body that transmits force to the brain. It is a functional injury rather than a structural one — which is why scans are usually normal, and why a normal scan does not mean nothing happened.
You do not need to lose consciousness to have a concussion. Most people do not. Feeling dazed, foggy or "not right" after a knock is enough.
Most people recover within two weeks, and most children within four.
Two things have changed in recent years and are worth knowing. First, prolonged complete rest in a dark room is no longer recommended and probably slows recovery. Second, return-to-sport protocols are considerably stricter than most people assume, because a second impact before recovery is genuinely dangerous.
Watch for behaviour change rather than a described symptom — unusual irritability, being unsettled, going off food, or losing interest in favourite things.
Concussion is a clinical diagnosis made on the history and the symptoms. There is no blood test and no scan that confirms it.
CT scans in head injury are done to exclude bleeding, not to diagnose concussion. That is a distinction people find genuinely confusing — a normal CT is reassuring about a bleed and says nothing about whether you are concussed.
NICE sets out specific criteria for who needs a CT scan, including loss of consciousness with certain features, repeated vomiting, seizure, suspected skull fracture, focal neurological signs, and anyone on an anticoagulant — who should be assessed even after apparently minor head injury.
Assessment needs to be in person. Pupils, coordination, balance and neurological examination all matter and none of them can be done over video.
We have marked this as not treatable online, and that is deliberate.
An acute head injury needs in-person assessment — examination, and a decision about whether a CT scan is required. That is an urgent care or A&E job, and it is free on the NHS. We would be doing you a disservice by taking a fee to look at you over video.
Afterwards, once serious injury has been excluded:
Persistent post-concussion symptoms are real, are commonly dismissed, and respond better to structured graded activity than to being told to rest and wait.
Do not drive yourself.
Increase activity gradually, guided by symptoms. A mild, brief increase in symptoms during activity is acceptable; a marked or lasting worsening means you have gone too far, so step back and progress more slowly.
Screens, reading and concentration count as activity — build them up in the same graded way.
The UK concussion guidance for grassroots sport is deliberately cautious: If in doubt, sit them out.
The reason is second impact syndrome — a further head injury before recovery is complete can cause catastrophic brain swelling. It is rare, and it is why the rules are strict.
Acute head injury is entirely NHS territory, and it is free, fast and appropriate. A&E and urgent treatment centres assess head injuries around the clock and decide about CT scanning against national criteria. Nothing private improves on that, and we will not pretend otherwise.
Do not pay for a private scan to "check" a head injury. Scans in head injury are for excluding bleeding, which is an emergency decision made on clinical criteria — not something to arrange privately over the following days.
Where private care has a legitimate role is the recovery phase:
Free and worth knowing: the UK Concussion Guidelines for Non-Elite Sport are published openly, and the Headway charity provides excellent free information and a helpline.
This page follows NICE NG232 on head injury: assessment and early management, including the criteria for CT scanning and the specific guidance on anyone taking anticoagulants.
The return-to-sport advice follows the UK Concussion Guidelines for Non-Elite (Grassroots) Sport — the "If in doubt, sit them out" framework, with its 14-day symptom-free and 21-day minimum competition thresholds, and slower progression for children.
The move away from prolonged complete rest reflects the international consensus statements on concussion in sport, which now support relative rest for 24 to 48 hours followed by graded sub-symptom-threshold activity.
The advice to avoid NSAIDs in the first 24 to 48 hours is standard UK head injury practice, on the basis of bleeding risk.
No, and most people do not. Feeling dazed, foggy or "not right" after a knock is enough.
No — that advice has changed. Two days of relative rest, then gradual increase in activity. Prolonged complete rest is associated with slower recovery.
It means there is no bleed, which is the important thing it is looking for. Concussion does not show on a CT, so a normal scan does not mean you are not concussed.
UK grassroots guidance is at least 14 days symptom-free before contact training, and a minimum of 21 days from injury before competition — longer for children. It is stricter than most people expect, and the reason is second impact syndrome.
Most adults recover within two weeks and most children within four. A minority have symptoms for longer, which is recognised and treatable — not imagined.
Use paracetamol in the first 24 to 48 hours and avoid ibuprofen and aspirin, because of bleeding risk. After that ibuprofen is usually fine.
Not until symptoms have settled. Concentration, reaction time and vision are all affected, often more than you realise.
September 8, 2026
Ongoing
Time to be seen
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Your NHS record in the room
Written treatment plan
Told when a test isn’t needed
Cost
Same day, usually
20 minutes
Yes, with your consent
Included
Yes, and told why
£40 for 20 minutes
Varies by practice
Typically 10 minutes
Yes, your full record
Not routinely
Usually
Free
Same day
Often 10 to 15 minutes
Usually not
Sometimes charged
Varies by provider
Often a subscription
Same-day access is usually available, from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week. You choose a time that suits you rather than waiting on hold at 8am.
Yes. Care is led personally by Dr Mohammad Khan, so you are not passed between clinicians. Continuity is the point of a small practice: someone who knows your history and is listening attentively rather than working through a checklist.
Yes, with your consent. We can access your Summary Care Record during the consultation, so your current medications, allergies and significant history are in the room. That means fewer questions you have already answered elsewhere, and safer prescribing.
No. We are not here to replace GPs, only to support them. Your NHS practice remains responsible for your ongoing care, and with your consent we write to them after the consultation. We are useful when you need to be seen sooner, or want more time than a standard appointment allows.
Twenty unhurried minutes and a comprehensive assessment. A written treatment plan is included, along with any prescription, sick note or referral letter arising from the consultation, at no extra charge.
£40 for 20 minutes, self-pay. Membership is optional and never required. Priced for fairness, because we are not here to charge extortionate amounts for access to a doctor.
It means the diagnosis can usually be made from your history and photographs, and that treatment can be arranged safely without examining you. Where a condition is not marked treatable online, it is because examination is the diagnosis — listening to a chest, feeling an abdomen, examining an ear or a joint — or because a procedure or device is needed.
Yes, where there is a genuine bacterial infection — cellulitis, impetigo, bacterial urine infections, confirmed strep throat. We will also frequently tell you that you do not need one. Most sore throats, coughs, colds and earaches are viral, and an antibiotic gives you the side effects with none of the benefit.
If your problem turns out to be genuinely outside what we can do remotely, the doctor will tell you straight away, point you to the right service, and refund your fee in full. We would rather do that than fill twenty minutes to justify the charge.
Call 999 or go to A&E — do not book an online appointment and do not wait for a reply to an email. For urgent problems that are not emergencies, NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, online or by phone, and can direct you to the right service.
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