Yes. Under Rowan’s Law, an athlete in amateur competitive sport in Ontario who has had a concussion needs medical clearance before returning to unrestricted practice, training or competition. Only a physician or a nurse practitioner can provide that clearance.
Clearance comes near the end of a gradual return-to-sport process, not at the beginning.
What Rowan’s Law requires
Rowan’s Law is Ontario’s concussion safety legislation. Sport organizations covered by it must:
- Make sure athletes under 26, parents of athletes under 18, coaches, team trainers and officials review Ontario’s concussion awareness resources every year
- Have a concussion code of conduct
- Have a removal-from-sport protocol and a return-to-sport protocol
Schools follow a separate Ministry of Education policy with similar requirements.
What happens after a suspected concussion
- The athlete is removed from play right away and does not return that day.
- The athlete is assessed by a physician or nurse practitioner.
- If a concussion is diagnosed, the athlete follows a gradual return-to-sport process, moving forward only as symptoms allow.
- The athlete returns to school before returning to unrestricted sport.
- A physician or nurse practitioner provides medical clearance before unrestricted practice and competition.
Can your clinic give medical clearance?
The clearance itself must come from a physician or nurse practitioner. Our role is to assess, treat and guide you through the steps so you are ready for that appointment.
What about recreational or adult athletes?
The same approach is the safe one for everyone, whether or not your league is covered by the law: stop playing, get medically assessed, return gradually and get cleared before contact or high-risk activity.
Why it matters
The law is named for Rowan Stringer, an Ottawa high school rugby player who died in 2013 after playing with a concussion. Returning before the brain has healed raises the risk of a more serious injury.
For timing in hockey, read when can my child return to hockey after a concussion? More about our service is on the concussion management page.
Working through a return to sport?