Road to recovery for Hibs ace - return to play rules will dictate Boyle's comeback

Confirmation from Hibs that Martin Boyle suffered a concussion in last night's Scottish Cup loss to Rangers at least clarifies the situation with regard to his expected absence. Up to a point. Because everything about recovering from a brain injury - and it's always worth remembering that this is exactly what a concussion is - has to be guided by the patient.

Scottish football's existing concussion protocols dictate that Boyle, now home and resting with his family, will have to be completely symptom free - no headaches, blurred vision, sickness or inability to focus on mental tasks - before he's even allowed to begin light training on his own. As a general rule, he should be given complete rest from training for at least 14 days, although some leeway is allowed as long as the Socceroos star shows no symptoms for at least 48 hours, then completes every step of the phased return to normality, including being able to read and watch TV without suffering a setback.

In a statement yesterday, the club thanked the Rangers medical staff for rushing onto the pitch alongside their Hibs counterparts when it became apparent that Boyle, who had come down heavily after an aerial collision with John Souttar, was seriously hurt. The statement said: "Hibernian FC can confirm that Martin Boyle has returned home from hospital in the company of his wife and children. The winger went straight to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary following the first half collision against Rangers and was put through a thorough medical examination to understand the severity of the injury.

"The tests thankfully came back all clear and revealed that Martin has concussion. He will now rest at home and will follow the concussion protocol. The club would like to thank the staff at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, alongside the stadium ambulance crew, and medical departments at Hibernian FC and Rangers for the treatment they provided to Martin."