The Increase In Concussion Treatment In Toronto Hockey Players

By Jana Serrano


Alarming statistics are coming out of Ontario concerning the rate of concussion. According to a study published in 2014 by York University, the number of young people attending for concussion treatment in Toronto rose by 50% between 2003 and 2010. Some people think this is a good thing, because it suggests that parents are becoming more aware of the problem.

A world-renouned clinic in Massachusetts defines concussion as a traumatic brain injury that changes the way the brain functions. The effects may include headache, difficulty concentrating and problems with balance, coordination and memory. Even the mildest injury can cause permanent changes to the brain. The most common cause is a bump on the head, with or without loss of consciousness, although they can also occur as the result of rigorous shaking of the head and upper torso.

The symptoms may not express themselves for several days, weeks or longer after the original blow. These include headache, confusion and memory loss. Additionally, there may be nausea and vomiting, ringing sounds in the ears, a feeling of pressure within the head, seeing stars or slurred speech. Children and toddlers may lose interest in their favorite toys, appear cranky or irritable, cry more than normal or change their sleeping and eating habits.

A knock on the head does not need to be overtly serious in order to cause a lasting injury to the brain. Sports players are notorious for wanting to get back into the game after being knocked on the head. This should not be permitted, as people have died or become permanently disabled after seemingly trivial head injuries. This is a high price to pay for a moment of glory, and there is always next year!

Concussions are particularly common in people who participate in contact sports. Hockey players are in a particularly high-risk group. Bodychecking is a defensive maneuver in which the player forcibly drives his shoulder, hip, elbow and upper arm into an opponent. According to the rules, this move is only legal when carried out against the player who has control of the puck.

In 2010, bodychecking involving the player's head or blind side was prohibited; this was to reduce the worrying numbers of concussions involving youngsters. To date, it does not appear to be working; rates of concussion are higher than ever. What is particularly alarming is that female players are suffering more concussions than male players. This is very odd because women's hockey does not permit bodychecking in any form.

The increase in numbers of concussions in female hockey players, and indeed sportswomen in general, is not confined to professional or even college players. Pee wee coaches of girls aged 9 and 10 are reporting high numbers of head injuries. Despite the absence of bodychecking in the women's game, women are experiencing similar, or even higher, levels of concussive head injury.

A chief neurosurgeon at a hospital in Massachusetts suggests that women may be more susceptible to concussions than men and that this merits further study. This increased vulnerability may be because women do not train their neck muscles as aggressively as do men. Higher rates may also indicate that women are more honest about reporting their head injuries.




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