Young hockey players are particulalry vulnerable to concussions.
Head injuries are commonplace in hockey. From peewee to the NHL, the image of a player lying on the ice after a knock to the head isn’t a strange sight.
But Reebok-CCM Hockey and the University of Ottawa Neurotrauma Impact Science Lab have teamed up to develop safer hockey equipment to help make that sight a less common one.
Awareness about concussions in professional hockey is on the rise, partly due to injuries sustained by high-profile players. But in youth hockey details about concussion are few and far between.
Prof. Blaine Hoshizaki, director of Ottawa U's Neurotrauma Impact Science lab, says children especially are at risk of head trauma.
“Kids . . . they either have a headache or they don’t. In some cases it’s hard to determine what happened because they all run into each other and fall down,” says Hoshizaki.
“Who’s hitting their head and who’s not hitting their head? Some kids have pretty poor communication skills, especially young boys and it goes undiagnosed.”
The Reebok-CCM Hockey and the University of Ottawa partnership uses the most effective testing for impact simulation specifically designed for hockey helmets. The partnership aims to make this type of testing the industry standard for equipment.
According to a 2008 study published by the American College of Sports Medicine diagnosis of head injury usually only takes place if there is a noticeable change in the players’ actions. But for younger players, diagnosis depends on the coaches or players’ parent’s medical knowledge which often means concussions are missed.
Todd Jackson, risk and safety manager at Hockey Canada, says that the best way to prevent concussions in hockey is to improve all levels of the game.
“If you’re going to prevent concussions it’s got to be an overall approach,” says Jackson.
“It’s got to be skill development, it’s got to be respect to the game and it’s got to be good rules and good enforcement of those rules.”
Better equipment is also essential.
“The goal, of course, is to develop a technology that not only protects professionals, like the NHL, but also kids,” says Hoshizaki. “There are a lot more kids playing the game and there are a lot more risks with children because they’re not as skilled as the NHL players.”
The development is based on testing the force of rotational impact – the impact that causes concussions – a helmet can take.
Hockey Canada has developed an app that parents and coaches can use to recognize symptoms of concussion and tips on how to manage head injuries. Impakt Protective, an Ottawa-based company, has also developed a device for hockey helmets that lets coaches know via Bluetooth when a player has been hit with enough force to cause a concussion.
Peter Smith, vice-president of Ottawa Centre Minor Hockey, says young players often miss out on playing brcause of head injuries suffered in other sports.
“We more often have kids miss time because they’ve had concussions in other sports like rugby and contact leagues,” says Smith. “We recommend to all parents that they buy the latest technology from the helmet manufacturers.”