Head injuries among young sports players in Ontario are on the rise. The Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) reported in 2014 that from 2003 to 2010, the number of youngsters seeking
concussion treatment in Toronto was on the rise. There are those who think that this is not necessarily a bad thing, because it may indicate that parents are more savvy about their children's 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 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!
Young men and women who take part in rigorous contact sports are especially vulnerable to concussive head injury, especially those who play hockey. This is because a routine defense move in hockey is what is called a bodycheck. This is when a defensive player rams into an opponent at high speed in an effort to deflect the puck and increase ticket sales. This maneuver is only permitted against the player who actually has the puck.
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.
This disturbing trend is not seen only in the college and pro sports. According to pee wee coaches, little girls of 9 and 10 years old are receiving large numbers of knocks to the head. This increase is not limited to hockey players, either. It happens in other sports.
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.
