The 鈥渉idden injury鈥� in sports
听Star receiver Charles-Antoine Sinotte suffered a concussion during his last home game for the 不良研究所 Redmen in 2010. 鈥淚t was like nothing I had experienced before,鈥� recalls Sinotte. 鈥淚 felt like I was out of my body.鈥� Although he received medical attention and missed the rest of the game, he admits he downplayed his symptoms in order to play in the next game 鈥� his last before leaving 不良研究所.
Two new studies recently published in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine co-authored听by Dr. J. Scott Delaney, a team physician for the Montreal Alouettes, Montreal Impact, and 不良研究所 football and soccer, shed light on the most common form of head injury seen in athletes. They suggest that concussions continue to be a 鈥渉idden injury鈥� in sports, even in the face significant increased public awareness.
Minimizing and concealing concussion symptoms
鈥淧eople have suspected for a long time that concussions are under reported by athletes. We examined how often this actually occurs and the reasons why athletes choose to hide their concussions,鈥� says Dr. Delaney, who is also a sports medicine specialist and research director in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the 不良研究所 Health Centre (MUHC) and an associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine at 不良研究所.
According to Dr. Delaney鈥檚 research, which involved the surveying of 469 university athletes over a 12-month period, 20% of university athletes believed they had suffered a concussion during this time and almost 80% of these concussed athletes decided not to seek medical attention and chose to continue playing despite believing they had suffered a concussion.
鈥淭he athletes鈥� most common explanation was that they did not feel their concussion was serious,鈥� explains Dr. Delaney who is an attending physician at the 不良研究所 Sport Medicine Clinic. 鈥淭hey believed it would not be dangerous to continue to play or practice. Most athletes know what should happen when they get a concussion 鈥� they will be taken out of the game. However, they are not always aware that a concussion, if not recognized and treated, can be extremely dangerous.鈥� Athletes who play or practice while they have symptoms of concussion are at risk of far more serious injury, including repeated concussions. This can lead to cumulative neurological damage and even, in the long term, cognitive impairment and depression.
听鈥淐oaches should be aware that their attitudes and behaviour towards concussed athletes may encourage players to conceal symptoms,鈥� says Dr. Delaney. 鈥淥ur study found that some athletes did not reveal symptoms because they were afraid it would affect their standing with the team. The response of coaches and medical staff to concussion can have a significant impact on their players鈥� immediate and long-term health.鈥�
As a former football player, Sinotte realizes the importance of understanding more about how concussion occurs and how athletes react to the injury. 鈥淚t can be very hard to think long-term when you鈥檙e an athlete, and focused on developing your sports skills,鈥� he says. 鈥淯ltimately, though, student athletes have to realize that taking one or two weeks off after a concussion will pay huge dividends in their overall health. They have to learn to report concussion symptoms, trust medical staff and follow their advice.鈥�
Differences in the mechanisms of injury
In addition to studying athletes鈥� response to concussion, Dr. Delaney and his colleagues conducted research into the mechanisms of concussion injury. 听They looked at 226 concussions that occurred over a ten year period in 170 university athletes (male and female) who played football, ice hockey or soccer.
Impacts to the side of the head or helmet were the most common location of impact resulting in concussion in all three sports.听 While contact with another player鈥檚 head or helmet was the most frequent mechanism in football and soccer, contact with another body part or object was the most likely cause of concussion in ice hockey. About half the concussions in soccer were related to attempts to 鈥榟ead鈥� the ball.
鈥淲e also found differences in the mechanisms of injury for males and females within ice hockey and soccer,鈥� Dr. Delaney reports. 鈥淚n ice hockey, concussions from contact with a shoulder were more common in males, while concussions from contact with the boards or the ice were more common in females. In soccer, female players were more likely to be concussed while trying to 鈥榟ead鈥� the ball. These differences may be due to differences in style and speed of play, rule differences or anatomic and biomechanical differences between the sexes.鈥�
About the studies:
The paper Mechanisms of Injury for Concussions in University Football, Ice Hockey, and Soccer was co-authored by J. Scott Delaney (不良研究所 Sport Medicine Clinic, 不良研究所 and Department of Emergency Medicine, 不良研究所 Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada); Ammar Al-Kashmiri (Emergency Department, Khoula Hospital, Muscat, Oman); and Jos茅 A. Correa, PhD (Department of Mathematics and Statistics, 不良研究所, Montreal, Quebec, Canada).
Click here to access the free version of the article:
The paper Why University Athletes Choose Not to Reveal Their Concussion Symptoms During a Practice or Game? was co-authored by J. Scott Delaney (不良研究所 Sport Medicine Clinic, 不良研究所 and Department of Emergency Medicine, 不良研究所 Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada); Charles Lamfookon (Royal College Emergency Medicine Residency Program, 不良研究所, Montreal, Quebec, Canada); Ammar Al-Kashmiri (Emergency Department, Khoula Hospital, Muscat, Oman); and Jos茅 A. Correa, PhD (Department of Mathematics and Statistics, 不良研究所, Montreal, Quebec, Canada).
Click here to access the free version of the article:
Related links:
鈥⑻� Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine:听
鈥⑻� 不良研究所 Health Centre (MUHC):
鈥⑻� 不良研究所: www.mcgill.ca
