Concussion in youth ice hockey: It's time to break the cycle

Return to Play Guidelines Cannot Solve the Football‐Related Concussion Problem

“…Concussions can never be completely eliminated from sports, and RTPs play an important role in the postconcussion management of athletes. Because athletes are at risk for multiple concussions, and sport participation is contraindicated in the concussed and recovering athlete, adherence to RTPs is a critical component of any comprehensive school‐based sport concussion program 2 . However, RTPs alone do not address the problem of football‐related concussion for several reasons.…”

“…The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that body checking in ice hockey be limited to players 15 and older, 14 but has not made a comparable recommendation regarding youth tackle football. Just as player size and the biomechanics of concussion put younger players at increased risk of injury in ice hockey, 14,15 and justify the elimination of body checking in players under 16 2,15 these same factors elevate risk in junior football players. Therefore, a ban on tackling in competitive football for players under 16 is appropriate.…”

“…Extrapolating from available data on hospitalizations, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that between 1.6 million and 3.8 million sport‐related traumatic brain injuries occur each year in the United States, with many of them remaining undiagnosed 1 . Whereas there has been much attention recently on the concussion risks for professional athletes, particularly in contact sports like football and ice hockey, sport‐related concussion represents a substantial health risk for the general population as well, and especially for student athletes 2 …”

Concussion Education: A (Gentle) Knock on the Head For All of Us

“…Knowledge of concussion and head-injury also positions the medical student and physician to be a better health care advocate, one of the CanMEDs physician roles. Recent papers draw attention to the impact of concussions on players in the National Hockey League 9 , but perhaps more importantly to players in youth ice hockey programs 10 . Though only 1 in 4000 youth ice hockey players makes it to the professional league, the road to the NHL may be rough for many 10 .…”

Sport-Related Neurotrauma and Neuroprotection: Are Return-to-Play Protocols Justified by Paternalism?

“…See footnote 35 I have elsewhere considered appropriate strategies for preventing and managing sport-related concussion in youth sports[25,59].…”