Not every Canadian has a fully positive experience with sports and unfortunately devastating brain injuries like concussions play a huge role in this. It’s been noted that in 2016-17 approximately 46,000 concussions were diagnosed to children and youth 5-19 years of age. 46,000 young Canadians have been affected by a concussion through sport and the scariest part about that is the limited knowledge we have on concussions. Over the past decade more and more research has been conducted on the effects a concussion has on the brain and still we are not entirely sure just how dangerous they can be.
The long-term effects of concussions are still largely poorly understood, however there are strong associations with repeated SRCs (or severity) with major changes in later life, including cognitive impairment/dementia, as well as increased risk of depression and suicide attempts. With that being said, it is imperative that we as people do everything in our power to help mitigate the risk factors associated with concussions and ensure that all children participating in sport are well protected.
With hockey being our countries most beloved game, Canadian youth are far more inclined to participate in the physicality of the sport and should be educated on some kind of risk management recommendation. Youth sport administrators and managers should educate coaches, parents/guardians on how to reduce head injuries and about the signs and symptoms of a concussion. Also, youth sport coaches should foster an organizational culture in which young athletes can report head injuries and take appropriate precautions without being viewed as weak. All in all, concussions are an extremely dangerous aspect of sport and are severely affecting Canadian youth every day. We as Canadians need to do our part in educating youth on the effects of a concussion to help minimize the risk.
Ty Morelli
Sport, Not Games ⚽ 