Concussions in hockey: there is cause for concern

Purpose: The purpose of the study A Lis to document various aspects of conc ussion in Canadian Amateur hockey including demographics, causes. treatment , and prevention in order to guide future recommendation,,, on how to reduc e injury. Methods: A detailed prospective and retrospective concussion hist ory was obtained from British Columbia Junior Hockey League players over th e course of two seasons (1998-2000). Results: Higher rates of concussions o ccur in games versus practice, and there was an overrepresentation of forwa rds injured versus defensemen or goaltenders. There Aas between 4.63 and 5. 95 concussions per 1000 player/game hours with the average age of the First hockey-related concussion in the 15th year. The greatest cause of Concussi on was contact with the ice and/or the boards. Fighting was not a major cau se of concussion, although other illegal actions such as elbowing were, Con clusions: The primary recommendation to reduce the number and severity of c oncussions is to eliminate plays where there is a demonstrable intent to in jure another player. Concussions in hockey are of considerable concern: how ever, there is now encouraging information with respect to the treatment of these injuries.