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 symptoms of concussion may be very subtle and may not present themselves for days, weeks or even months after the injury. They include loss of memory, headache and confusion. They may also include slurred speech, nausea and vomiting, ringing in the ears, seeing stars or a feeling of pressure inside the head. Toddlers and children may become irritable or cranky, cry excessively, display altered eating and/or sleeping patterns or lose interest in their favorite toys.
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.
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.
It turns out it is not just female hockey players who are getting more brain injuries, it is women in all sports and at all ages, from pro to college and even down to girls of nine or ten years old. Pee wee coaches are reporting more concussions among their players. In spite of the fact that women's hockey does not permit bodychecking, the incidence of concussions among these players is on the rise.
The chief of neurosurgery at a large Massachusetts hospital seems to believe that women may just be more vulnerable to concussion than men, and that there should be more research into this. Another possibility is that women do not work as hard to train their neck muscles as men do. This is most likely for cosmetic reasons. Women may also be more forthcoming about reporting head 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 of concussion may be very subtle and may not present themselves for days, weeks or even months after the injury. They include loss of memory, headache and confusion. They may also include slurred speech, nausea and vomiting, ringing in the ears, seeing stars or a feeling of pressure inside the head. Toddlers and children may become irritable or cranky, cry excessively, display altered eating and/or sleeping patterns or lose interest in their favorite toys.
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.
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.
It turns out it is not just female hockey players who are getting more brain injuries, it is women in all sports and at all ages, from pro to college and even down to girls of nine or ten years old. Pee wee coaches are reporting more concussions among their players. In spite of the fact that women's hockey does not permit bodychecking, the incidence of concussions among these players is on the rise.
The chief of neurosurgery at a large Massachusetts hospital seems to believe that women may just be more vulnerable to concussion than men, and that there should be more research into this. Another possibility is that women do not work as hard to train their neck muscles as men do. This is most likely for cosmetic reasons. Women may also be more forthcoming about reporting head injuries.
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