Concussion clinic marketing: danger signs, baseline testing claims, devices, schools and youth forms

A concussion clinic is found by a parent on the night of a game, by a coach who wants a place to send players, by a school nurse looking for a return to learn plan and by an adult who fell on the ice and still feels foggy a week later. Each of them reads the page in a hurry. What should the page say first? How do you describe baseline tests and assessment devices without promising a diagnosis no device makes? What can you say about clearing an athlete, and who decides that? Which privacy law applies when a school, a team and a clinic share one student’s concussion? This guide covers what the CDC, MedlinePlus, the FDA and the federal advertising and privacy rules say, and how to turn that into clinic pages, school materials and forms.

Three related topics have their own guides and are not repeated here. Team physician and athletic trainer arrangements, free sports physicals and the CDC six-step return to sport progression are covered in our guide to sports medicine practice marketing. Pages for a general neurology practice, including headache and specialist referral copy, are covered in our guide to neurology practice marketing. Partnerships with clinics that operate inside schools are covered in our guide to school-based health center marketing. This guide covers what is specific to a clinic or program that evaluates and manages concussion. If your program adds neurofeedback or qEEG brain maps, see our guide to neurofeedback and qEEG clinic marketing.

What the CDC, MedlinePlus and the FDA say

A concussion page rests on what the public health and patient sources say about the injury. They say:

• The CDC HEADS UP page Concussion Basics (January 7, 2025) says a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth, and that a child with a concussion needs to be seen by a health care provider.
• The same page says children with a concussion feel better within 2 to 4 weeks in the general case, that symptoms affecting behavior, mood, memory or emotions last for months or longer for a share of children, and that a history of previous concussions or more severe symptoms right after the injury raises the chance of a longer recovery.
• The CDC page Signs and Symptoms of Concussion (September 15, 2025) says signs and symptoms may not show up right away, that they can take hours or days to appear, and lists danger signs that call for 911 or the nearest emergency department.
• The CDC page Returning to School After a Concussion (August 6, 2025) says support at school should be based on the student’s symptoms and that a concussion management plan is put in place with the school, based on the symptoms and guidance from the healthcare provider.
• The MedlinePlus Concussion topic page (last updated November 24, 2025) says symptoms may start days or weeks after the injury, that a scan such as a CT or MRI may be done to check for bleeding, inflammation or a skull fracture, and that a return to normal activities comes slowly, when the health care provider says it is ok.
• The MedlinePlus Traumatic Brain Injury article (review date October 14, 2025) says both adults and children must follow their provider’s instructions about when it will be possible to return to sports.
• The FDA consumer update Traumatic Brain Injury: What to Know About Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment (content current as of August 23, 2021) says a medical exam is the first step to diagnose a potential brain injury, that imaging cannot detect all brain injuries, and that the FDA has not cleared or approved any medical products intended to diagnose or treat a brain injury alone without other diagnostic tests or treatments managed by a health care provider.

Two points shape the marketing. First, a concussion is diagnosed by a clinician through an exam, with tests as aids, so no page should sell a test as the diagnosis. Second, the return to sport and school is a decision the treating provider makes over time, under rules set state by state, so no page should sell a date.

Put the danger signs at the top

The CDC lists the danger signs after a bump, blow or jolt to the head that call for 911 or the nearest emergency department: convulsions or seizures, not recognizing people or places, repeated nausea or vomiting, unusual behavior, increased confusion, restlessness or agitation, loss of consciousness with increasing drowsiness or trouble staying awake, slurred speech, weakness, numbness or decreased coordination, a headache that gets worse and does not go away, and one pupil larger than the other or double vision. For infants and toddlers it adds crying that cannot be consoled and refusing to nurse or eat.

Put a short version of that list above the booking button on the concussion page, the booking form and any ad landing page, with a link to the CDC page: if you see any of these signs, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department now; do not book an appointment. The clinic’s own phone line and the after-hours message should say the same thing. A page built to fill a schedule should never make a parent think the clinic visit next week is the right answer for a child who is getting worse tonight.

Baseline tests and assessment tools: say what they are

Baseline or preseason testing is the clinic offer that reaches the widest group of families, and it is where the claims go wrong. The FDA says devices it has cleared or approved for brain injury are not intended to be used alone, without the judgment of a health care provider trained to diagnose and treat it, and that tests from unauthorized devices may not correctly diagnose a brain injury. It says an incorrect result can lead to a wrong decision to let a person return to play with a brain injury, a missed diagnosis or a lack of proper treatment, and it refers to a 2019 FDA safety communication warning against devices that are not FDA-approved or FDA-cleared for the assessment, diagnosis or management of a head injury or concussion.

Describe a baseline test as a record taken before the season that the clinic’s clinicians may compare against after an injury, as one part of an evaluation. Describe any device or computer test by what it measures, and say that a clinician makes the diagnosis. Before the page names an FDA status for any tool, check the FDA’s own listing for that exact tool and that exact use, and quote it; do not borrow the status of a different tool or a different use. Leave out brand names on general pages; a tool’s own labeling is the place for its claims.

Phrases that need rewriting:

• “Our test diagnoses concussion in 10 minutes”. The FDA says no cleared or approved product is intended to diagnose a brain injury alone. Say the test is one part of a clinician’s evaluation.
• “Baseline testing protects your athlete”. A baseline is a record for later comparison. Say what it records and how the clinic may use it.
• “A normal scan means no concussion”. The FDA and MedlinePlus say imaging checks for bleeding and other serious injury, and the FDA says imaging cannot detect all brain injuries.
• “FDA-approved concussion test”. Use the FDA’s exact wording for the exact tool and use, or leave the status out.

Clearance, recovery time and other claims

Under 15 U.S.C. 45, deceptive acts or practices in commerce are unlawful, and 15 U.S.C. 52 prohibits false advertisements likely to induce the purchase of drugs, devices, services or cosmetics. The FTC staff Health Products Compliance Guidance says claims about the health benefits or safety of health-related products require competent and reliable scientific evidence, and that an advertiser is responsible for the claims its ads convey, including implied ones. A recovery timeline or a clearance promise is a health claim, and a parent reads it as one.

The CDC describes recovery in groups of children, with a share taking months, and MedlinePlus and the CDC put the return to activity in the hands of the treating provider. Who may sign a return to play clearance for a youth athlete, and what training they need, are set state by state, and schools and leagues add their own forms. Describe the clinic’s role as evaluation, a written plan and follow-up, and name the clinicians by license and board certification in their full names.

Phrases that need rewriting:

• “Back on the field in a week”. The CDC and MedlinePlus describe a gradual return the provider decides. Say the clinic gives a written plan and follows up.
• “We clear athletes fast”. Clearance rules are set state by state. Say who at the clinic evaluates and under what rules they sign.
• “Concussion cure” or “treatment that heals the brain”. No source cited here supports it. Describe the services and the follow-up.
• “Prevent concussions with our program”. The CDC HEADS UP pages cover lowering the risk and how to respond. Describe education as education.

School letters and return to learn

The CDC Returning to School page says children can return to school within 1 to 2 days of a concussion in the general case, which means they may go back while still having symptoms, and that a return to school can shorten recovery. It says support should be based on symptoms, and it offers a HEADS UP letter to schools that families can share with teachers and the school nurse. A clinic page can link that letter, describe the clinic’s own written school plan and say who on the team fills it in, without saying the plan secures any accommodation, which the school decides.

Concussion education nights for parents and coaches are a fair way to meet a community. Keep the talk to the CDC material, label it education, and do not collect injury details or sign-ups for evaluation at the door. Our guide to health fairs and community events covers sign-up sheets and screening events.

Schools, teams and student records: FERPA or HIPAA

A concussion moves between a school, a team and a clinic, and the records do not all fall under one law. Under 45 CFR 160.103, protected health information excludes health information in education records covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The U.S. Department of Education and HHS Joint Guidance on FERPA and HIPAA (December 2019 update) says the answer to whether HIPAA applies to an elementary or secondary school is generally no, because the school is either not a covered entity or keeps student health information in education records under FERPA.

The same guidance says health records kept by a provider, such as a third-party contractor, acting for a FERPA-covered school are education records under FERPA, whether or not the provider is employed by the school, while records kept by a provider that serves students directly and is not acting for the school are not. It also says HIPAA allows a covered provider to share information about a student with a school nurse or physician for treatment without the parent’s authorization. So a clinic that staffs a school’s athletic program under contract and the same clinic seeing the athlete in its own office can be under different rules for the same student. Map which records sit where before a page or a contract describes how information is shared.

Marketing is a separate question. A student’s injury, a team roster with concussion history or an evaluation result is not a mailing list. Where the clinic is a covered entity, using a patient’s information in marketing needs a signed authorization under 45 CFR 164.508. For a minor, check with counsel who signs it. Do not offer a school, a team or a coach anything of value in return for referrals; our guide to patient and physician referrals covers that.

Youth forms, kids under 13 and ads

Under 16 CFR 312.2, a child is an individual under the age of 13, and 16 CFR 312.3 requires an operator of a site directed to children, or one with actual knowledge that it collects personal information from a child, to give notice and obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting it. Write the booking form and the baseline sign-up for the parent or guardian, ask for the parent’s contact details, and ask for the injury details at the visit, not on a web form.

A concussion booking is health information, and so is a click on a concussion evaluation page. Keep both out of tracking pixels and ad platform tools unless a written agreement covers them. The Google Ads personalized advertising policy restricts targeting based on health conditions. Public ads can target by place and by search terms, and they should never be built from a team roster or the clinic’s patient list.

A seizure after a head injury is on the CDC danger list above. Clinics that also see patients with seizures or epilepsy can read our guide to epilepsy center marketing for first aid wording, center level claims and referral pages.

Athlete stories

A player who recovered and returned to the season makes a strong story, and it is one person’s result. Under 16 CFR 255.2, an ad that shows one person’s result on a key attribute is likely to be read as what others will generally achieve, unless the practice has substantiation for that or clearly and conspicuously discloses what people can generally expect. A story about a minor needs a parent’s signed authorization under 45 CFR 164.508 where the clinic is a covered entity, and the athlete’s school, team or coach should not be the one who asks for it. Our guide to testimonials covers the full rules.

Illustration: two concussion clinic pages

Illustration: a page reads “Head hit? Our 10-minute FDA-approved test tells you if it’s a concussion. We clear athletes fast, so they are back on the field in a week. Book online and tell us what happened.” It sells a test as the diagnosis, names an FDA status without checking it, promises clearance and a timeline, and asks for injury details on a web form, with no danger signs anywhere.

Illustration: a second page for the same clinic reads “If your athlete has a seizure, cannot stay awake, keeps vomiting, has slurred speech or a headache that keeps getting worse, call 911 now. For a possible concussion, [Clinic name] offers evaluations by [Clinician name, license]. The evaluation is an exam by our clinician; a baseline or computer test can be one part of it. You leave with a written plan for school and activity, and we follow up until our clinician decides on the next step under the rules that apply. Call [phone] to book.” It puts the danger signs first, says who diagnoses, and promises a plan and follow-up, not a date.

Checklist before the concussion page goes live

• The CDC danger signs and the 911 line sit above the booking button, on the form and in the after-hours message.
• Copy says a clinician diagnoses, and tests and devices are described as parts of an evaluation.
• Any FDA status is quoted from the FDA for that exact tool and use, or left out.
• No recovery timelines, fast clearance, cure or prevention claims.
• Clearance wording matches the rules set state by state, and clinicians are named with license and board certification.
• School materials link the CDC HEADS UP letter and leave accommodations to the school.
• The team has mapped which student records fall under FERPA and which under HIPAA.
• Forms are written for parents, collect no injury details and meet 16 CFR 312 for children under 13.
• Bookings and page clicks stay out of pixels and ad audiences; no ads from rosters or patient lists.
• Athlete stories have a parent’s signed authorization and a disclosure of what people can generally expect where needed.

How we help

We build websites, local search, Google Ads and AI front desk tools for independent practices and health businesses, including sports medicine and neurology practices that run concussion programs. For a concussion clinic, that means a concussion page with the CDC danger signs first and dated links, baseline and evaluation copy that says who diagnoses, school pages that link the CDC letter, and booking forms written for parents that keep injury details off the web and away from tracking tools. We do not decide how care is delivered or who is cleared; your clinicians do. Our tools are built with HIPAA in mind. We confirm in writing what a BAA covers before any patient information flows through a tool, and if it is not covered, we do not route patient information through it. We are not a healthcare provider and we do not give legal or medical advice. We do not sell lead lists and we do not pay for referrals. For the wider rules, see our healthcare marketing rules hub.

Sources

• CDC HEADS UP: Concussion Basics (January 7, 2025)
• CDC HEADS UP: Signs and Symptoms of Concussion (September 15, 2025)
• CDC HEADS UP: Returning to School After a Concussion (August 6, 2025)
• MedlinePlus: Concussion (last updated November 24, 2025)
• MedlinePlus: Traumatic brain injury (review date October 14, 2025)
• FDA: Traumatic Brain Injury: What to Know About Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment (content current as of August 23, 2021)
• 15 U.S.C. 45: Unfair methods of competition unlawful
• 15 U.S.C. 52: Dissemination of false advertisements
• FTC: Health Products Compliance Guidance (December 2022)
• 45 CFR 160.103: Definitions
• U.S. Department of Education and HHS: Joint Guidance on FERPA and HIPAA to Student Health Records (December 2019 update)
• 45 CFR 164.508: Uses and disclosures for which an authorization is required
• 16 CFR 312.2: Definitions
• 16 CFR 312.3: Regulation of unfair or deceptive acts or practices
• 16 CFR 255.2: Consumer endorsements
• Google Ads: Personalized advertising policy

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