Spinal cord injury-related sites

Professional hockey is finally taking notice of a fact the medical community has known for a long time—the alarming incidence of spinal injuries in the sport. These injuries are primarily caused by collisions with the boards, either by accident or as the result of a legal or illegal check. 

If this level of spinal cord injury were in the workplace, it would be considered unacceptable. Why then are we tolerating it in sport, especially when too many incidents occur in our youth and high school hockey programs?

Hockey must police itself on this issue. If it does not, lawyers and federal governments may decide the future of the sport.

Leigh Pomeroy
Editor, safehockey.com
Email safehockey.com

Concussion
Issues

New concussion test

Baseline test will provide basis to measure injury in young players 

Tuesday, February 29, 2000

By Brenden Sager, Post-Gazette Staff Writer 

Simple tests that help evaluate the severity of concussions suffered by professional athletes may soon be available to youth sports to ensure children are not returned to competition too soon.

More than 60,000 high school athletes suffer concussions each year, according to Joseph C. Maroon, a neurosurgeon with UPMC Health System who developed the tests used by some professional teams. 

Sixty-three percent of these injuries occur in high school football, but concussions also occur in basketball, hockey, wrestling and in growing numbers in boys' and girls' soccer. 

What Every Parent and Athlete Should Know About Sports Concussion

What is Concussion?

Concussion is the most common form of head injury for athletes. It is associated with disorientation, and sometimes with loss of consciousness (LOC) followed by amnesia (forgetting) of what happened both immediately before and after the injury.

A Message to Parents and Young Athletes

The NHL is now routinely assessing for concussion and providing baseline neuropsychological screening for their players. Now, there is a national trend to provide baselines for our high school and young athletes who are also at risk for concussion. Baselines that are performed prior to injury provide valuable information to help later determine when the player is ready to return to play, as well as if he/she is in need of treatment. Baseline screening includes noninvasive tests that measure attention, memory and other cognitive skills. However, it is not intelligence or achievement testing. Neuropsychological testing is often more sensitive to the effects of mild head injury than MRI, CT, or neurological exam.

Hockey Helmet Safety

From CBC Canada

Head injuries in hockey are an ever-growing problem in the sport and experts say helmets are a big part of the reason.

Shoot for a Cure is a Unique Fund Raising Campaign Led by the Hockey Fraternity

The goal of Shoot for a Cure to raise funds for spinal cord research and increase awareness of spinal cord injuries in hockey. This player initiated program can truly make a difference in helping a worthy cause.

All proceeds will be distributed to two non-profit organizations t in Canada, the Canadian Spinal Research Organization and in the USA, the American Spinal Research Organization.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

HEADS UP, DON'T DUCK !

Don't check anyone from behind. It's illegal. It's dangerous. Don't do it !!

NO CHECKING FROM BEHIND