Returning to Work After a Concussion: Talking to Your Doctor

Who this is for: Written for employees, students and remote workers returning to work after a concussion, and for the employers supporting them.

Work is often where symptoms show up first

Many people feel all right at home in the days after a crash, then go back to work and struggle. Screens, open offices, meetings, deadlines, customers and physical tasks place heavy demands on attention, memory and stamina. Headaches arrive by mid-morning, emails take three times as long and mistakes creep in. It is frightening and frustrating, especially when you look fine to everyone around you.

Headaches appear by mid-morning, emails take three times as long, and mistakes creep in, while you look fine to coworkers.

Common challenges at work

People describe trouble concentrating through long tasks, forgetting instructions, working more slowly, sensitivity to office lighting and noise, fatigue by early afternoon, irritability with colleagues and difficulty multitasking. Jobs with safety risks, such as driving, working at heights, operating machinery or caring for patients, raise additional concerns.

Planning a gradual return

Talk with your provider about your hours, screen time, breaks and the cognitive demands of your job. Rather than an all-or-nothing return, your provider may suggest a gradual one matched to your symptoms: shorter days, scheduled breaks, fewer screen-heavy tasks, a quieter workspace or temporarily adjusted duties, increasing as symptoms allow. Ask your provider for written work recommendations.

Related in this series: Memory and Focus Problems After a Head Injury, Light and Noise Sensitivity After a Concussion and Returning to Driving After a Concussion. For the full overview, start with our guide, Recovery, Work and Family.

Talking with your employer

Be honest and specific about what you need, and share your provider's written recommendations. Many employers will make short-term adjustments. If you are concerned about your rights at work, an employment attorney or HR professional can advise you. Braintree cannot.

Pushing through often backfires.

Signs you are doing too much

Rising headaches, more mistakes and mounting fatigue are signals to slow down. If symptoms build steadily through the day, last into the evening or worsen week to week, tell your provider so the plan can be adjusted. Pushing through often backfires.

How testing can help

When symptoms continue, standardized measures of attention, memory, processing speed and eye movements, with brain-activity measures as one part of a physician-interpreted evaluation, show your treating provider how your function compares with reference data. That can inform decisions about work restrictions and specialty referrals.

Students and remote workers

The same principles apply to college students and people working from home. Screen-heavy days, long video calls and reading assignments can trigger symptoms. Schedule breaks, use audio when you can and ask instructors or managers for temporary flexibility, backed by your provider's recommendations.

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