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.
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 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.
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.
Bodychecking was outlawed in 2010 in order to protect younger players from suffering concussions from a body check to the head. However, this strategy does not appear to be working. Not only are the overall numbers of concussions on the increase, but women are receiving more head injuries than the guys.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Bodychecking was outlawed in 2010 in order to protect younger players from suffering concussions from a body check to the head. However, this strategy does not appear to be working. Not only are the overall numbers of concussions on the increase, but women are receiving more head injuries than the guys.
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.
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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