Photo credit: John Martinez Pavliga/Flickr
On August 19, the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and the Bloorview Research Institute announced the launch of the “Concussion & You” handbook, a concussion victim’s guide to making educated, real-world decisions about their brain health. The handbook was developed by experts in the field of childhood disability and acquired brain injury, and informed by evidence-based research.
In hockey-mad Canada, youth concussions are a pervasive phenomenon, accounting for an estimated one in five of all sports-related injuries. While a single concussion is very rarely a life and death issue, multiple concussions in young people can have serious lasting effects, and can lead to acquired brain injury. In a recent Globe and Mail article, 17-year-old hockey and lacrosse player Warren McNeil described how his sixth concussion resulted in “starred and blurred vision, nausea, headaches, dizziness, anxiety and depression and ‘horrible’ concentration.” The symptoms lasted weeks longer than his previous concussions, and have forced McNeil to give up contact sports.
In professional sports leagues like the NHL and NFL, where the intensity of the action and size and speed of the players create a dangerous environment, increased scrutiny is being paid to prevention techniques. Concussions have not only led to the untimely termination of many promising and prominent young careers, but also to depression, substance abuse, violent crime, and suicide in retired players. Multiple concussions, even in some of the world’s fittest athletes, can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a variety of acquired brain injury that can cause dementia resulting in anger and violence.
Athletes are far from the only demographic at risk of brain injury or concussion, though. Slipping on an icy walkway, crashing during a bicycle ride, or involvement in a motor vehicle accident can just as easily result in a concussion, and in each of these cases proper treatment is vitally important.
“There is a real demand for scientifically-backed, practical solutions to identify concussion signs, symptoms and enable proper recovery,” said Dr. Michelle Keightley, Senior Clinician Scientist, in a Holland Bloorview release. “Physical activity has long been recommended for its numerous benefits to kids – physically, emotionally and mentally – and we want them to be empowered and educated so they can get back to the activities they love most.”
Today, there are no methods of easily identifying concussions (although several companies are developing blood tests that could lead to a quick diagnosis), and depending on severity, recovery can be a long journey. The “Concussion & You” handbook offers insight into concussions’ potential effects on the body and brain, as well as tips for conserving energy, sleeping well, and getting proper nutrition, which are all vital to the recovery process. The handbook also provides guidance for returning to school and physical activity.
A single concussion, while rarely life-threatening, must be treated with care and caution, as multiple concussions can result in myriad serious symptoms. If you or your child have suffered an acquired brain injury as a result of concussion, contact Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation. You may be entitled to compensation.
Greg Neinstein
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