Reports are coming out of the Canadian province of Ontario indicating that the incidence of head injuries has gone up. Between the years 2003 and 2010, numbers of young people turning up in hospitals for concussion treatment in Toronto went up 50 percent. While this may be an indication that parents are becoming better informed about the risk of head injury, the increase is still cause for concern.
The Mayo Clinic defines concussion as a trauma to the head that causes changes in brain function. These changes may be expressed in the form of memory loss, problems with coordination and balance, headache or difficulties in concentration. Even a seemingly innocuous head injury can cause lasting damage to the brain. Concussions are most commonly the result of a severe blow to the head, although they may also be a consequence of violent or prolonged shaking of the upper torso and head.
The evidence of concussion may be very subtle and not even noticeable for days, weeks or months. Symptoms include headache, confusion and memory loss, as well as nausea/vomiting, ringing in the ears, seeing stars, slurred speech or a sense of pressure from within the head. Pre-schoolers may lose interest in their favorite toys, change their sleeping and eating habits, cry a lot and become even more cranky and irritable than the typical toddler.
A trauma to the head does not have to seem serious in order to cause serious brain injury. Many sports players, when injured, insist on continuing to play after receiving a blow to the head. Sadly, this can end in tragedy, as the death of British actress Natasha Richardson, shortly after refusing treatment for a bump on the head while skiing.
People who take part in vigorous contact sports are particularly prone to concussive head injury, especially in the sport of hockey. In this sport, there is a defensive move called bodychecking in which the defensive player throws his entire body weight against the player who has the puck. The defender uses his or her hip, shoulder, upper arm and elbow to make contact.
In 2010, bodychecking to the player's blind side or to the head was outlawed in an effort to reduce the number of concussions suffered by young players. So far, this has not been the case. What is particularly worrying is that women hockey players, in whose sport bodychecking is prohibited completely, are experiencing higher rates of concussion than their male counterparts.
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.
There is a chief neurosurgeon at a major hospital in Massachusetts who thinks that the reason for this disproportionate increase in concussions could indicate that women are more susceptible than their male counterparts and that more research is needed. Alternatively, it could be that women are not training their neck muscles as much as men do, or that they are more open about reporting such injuries.
The Mayo Clinic defines concussion as a trauma to the head that causes changes in brain function. These changes may be expressed in the form of memory loss, problems with coordination and balance, headache or difficulties in concentration. Even a seemingly innocuous head injury can cause lasting damage to the brain. Concussions are most commonly the result of a severe blow to the head, although they may also be a consequence of violent or prolonged shaking of the upper torso and head.
The evidence of concussion may be very subtle and not even noticeable for days, weeks or months. Symptoms include headache, confusion and memory loss, as well as nausea/vomiting, ringing in the ears, seeing stars, slurred speech or a sense of pressure from within the head. Pre-schoolers may lose interest in their favorite toys, change their sleeping and eating habits, cry a lot and become even more cranky and irritable than the typical toddler.
A trauma to the head does not have to seem serious in order to cause serious brain injury. Many sports players, when injured, insist on continuing to play after receiving a blow to the head. Sadly, this can end in tragedy, as the death of British actress Natasha Richardson, shortly after refusing treatment for a bump on the head while skiing.
People who take part in vigorous contact sports are particularly prone to concussive head injury, especially in the sport of hockey. In this sport, there is a defensive move called bodychecking in which the defensive player throws his entire body weight against the player who has the puck. The defender uses his or her hip, shoulder, upper arm and elbow to make contact.
In 2010, bodychecking to the player's blind side or to the head was outlawed in an effort to reduce the number of concussions suffered by young players. So far, this has not been the case. What is particularly worrying is that women hockey players, in whose sport bodychecking is prohibited completely, are experiencing higher rates of concussion than their male counterparts.
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.
There is a chief neurosurgeon at a major hospital in Massachusetts who thinks that the reason for this disproportionate increase in concussions could indicate that women are more susceptible than their male counterparts and that more research is needed. Alternatively, it could be that women are not training their neck muscles as much as men do, or that they are more open about reporting such injuries.
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