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 traumatic brain injury that alters the way the brain operates. Such alteration may be temporary or permanent and varies in severity. The symptoms include problems with balance, coordination and concentration or loss of memory. The seriousness of the injury does not always correlate with the level of symptoms. Even a slight blow to the head can cause serious or permanent damage.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
The Mayo Clinic defines concussion as a traumatic brain injury that alters the way the brain operates. Such alteration may be temporary or permanent and varies in severity. The symptoms include problems with balance, coordination and concentration or loss of memory. The seriousness of the injury does not always correlate with the level of symptoms. Even a slight blow to the head can cause serious or permanent damage.
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 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.
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.
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.
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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