Victor Wembanyama concussion recovery timeline: How does the NBA protocol work, when can he return for the Spurs?

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama suffered a concussion after he fell and hit his face on the court during Tuesday’s loss to Portland Trail Blazers. The NBA has a regimented return-to-play protocol that will ultimately determine when he might be able to resume playing in the teams’ first-round NBA playoff series.

Wembanyama was at the Spurs’ practice facility on Wednesday, and ESPN reported he is “hopeful” of traveling to Portland on Thursday. Once a player is diagnosed with a concussion they are not allowed to resume playing for at least 48 hours. Game 3 of the series is Friday, which falls outside that window, but Wembanyama will need to clear a rigorous series of tests and evaluations before he is cleared to play.

A baseline neurological evaluation given the to player prior to season will be used to assess their recovery during the official protocol.

What’s next?

According to the NBA’s concussion protocol, Players are allowed to gradually resume physical activity 24 hours after the concussion was diagnosed — provided the activity doesn’t worsen their symptoms. Until they are encouraged to limit their use of electronic devices, including video games, and focus on their overall health and nutrition. They also are encouraged to not spend time around large groups of people.

Clearance requirements

To be allowed to resume playing in a game, played have to clear a handful of requirements in the protocal. The NBA defines these as:

“He is without concussion-related symptoms at rest
He has been evaluated by a physician with training and experience in the management of concussion
He has successfully completed the NBA return-to-participation exertion process
A team physician has discussed the return-to-participation process and decision with the Director of the NBA Concussion Program. “

According to the NBA, the final return-to-participation decision is made by the player’s team physician.

Return-to-participation steps

A player may not begin the return-to-participation exertion process until at least 24 hours after the time of injury. The process involves several steps. Each exertion stage must be monitored by the team’s medical staff. Players must be symptom-free to advance to the next step after a neurological exam is done.

The steps:

Stationary bike: low-intensity aerobic activity with no resistance
Jogging: light cardiovascular exertion
Agility work: more basketball-specific movement drills
Non-contact team drills: full practice activity, minus physical contact

If the player experiences symptoms, they must return to the stage where they were symptom-free and begin again. The NBA does not have a set timeframe to complete the entire process.

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