FREE PATIENT EDUCATION

Football. Protect your next chapter.

A learning package for student athletes, parents and coaches. Prevention, recovery and confidence belong in the same conversation.

Questions for my team

Before practice

Build training gradually, allow recovery, use appropriate equipment and learn sound technique. Tell the athletic trainer about prior injuries or new symptoms. Injury risk can be reduced but never eliminated.

After an injury

Stop when an injury causes severe pain, major swelling, a deformed joint or inability to bear weight, and seek prompt assessment. Rehabilitation and return decisions depend on the diagnosis. Do not use a teammate’s recovery calendar as your own.

Suspected concussion

Remove the athlete from play and arrange medical assessment. No return that day. After a concussion, return to sport requires healthcare approval and a supervised progression. Each CDC return step usually takes at least 24 hours. If symptoms return, stop and contact the clinician.

Emergency signs

After a head injury, call 911 for seizures, repeated vomiting, worsening headache, slurred speech, weakness or difficulty waking. For suspected neck or spine injury, do not move the athlete unless needed for immediate lifesaving care. Activate emergency services.

Confidence is part of recovery

Discuss fear of reinjury, sleep, mood and feeling disconnected from the team. Persistent distress deserves professional support. In the U.S., call or text 988 for a mental health crisis; call 911 for immediate danger.

Build the plan with your team

What is the diagnosis, and which activities should I avoid?
What can I safely do while recovering?
Which strength, movement and sport-specific goals must I meet?
Who provides clearance, and how will school and coaches receive the plan?
What symptoms mean I should stop or seek urgent care?
Who can help with confidence, mood or fear of reinjury?

For coaches and parents

Before the next practice, confirm who receives injury reports, where the emergency plan is kept, and how families receive medical follow-up instructions.

Keeping Young Athletes in the Game

Founded by Matthew Ehsan, a Texas Tech kinesiology student who became one of the captains of the McKinney varsity football team. His story is a personal perspective, not clinical advice.

Read Matthew’s complete story

Open the football injury guide

Browse football posters

American football safety poster in English

Sources and further reading

Sources consulted September 28, 2026. Source review dates vary.