A 2020 study shared by the Parkinson’s Foundation suggests a single concussion increased the risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease by 57 per cent and the risk of developing dementia by 72 per cent.
According to Brain Injury Canada, hockey is the most common sport, which leads to concussions among boys between 5 and 14 years old. Ringette is the leading cause among girls between 10 and 19.
Every year, more than 4 million Canadian youth participate in organized sports. With this high rate of participation, comprising nearly 70 per cent of all children in Canada between 5 and 17 years old, come injuries, many of which are concussions.
According to Stats Canada, almost one in four concussions documented in Canada occur during physical sports. Of these, two out of three are between 12 and 17 years old. Concussions at any age can be dangerous if not properly dealt with or if the individual has another injury to the head soon after the initial injury.
“The most common long-term problem is delayed or incomplete recovery,” says the Boston Children’s Hospital. “This can happen after multiple concussions or when a child has another concussion before fully recovering from a previous one. In some cases, repeated concussions can cause massive brain swelling and permanent brain damage.”
According to Brain Injury Canada, hockey is the most common sport, which leads to concussions among boys between 5 and 14 years old. Among girls between 10 and 19, Ringette was the leading cause of concussions. In 2013, Hockey Canada created a rule to ban body checking in pee-wee hockey for kids 11-12 years old and younger. This change seems drastic to many but has had a lasting impact, reducing the risk of concussions in game or practice by 70 per cent and reducing youth concussions by nearly 5,000 cases per year.
Many traditionalists argue that removing contact from youth sports prevents individuals from learning how to properly absorb contact, which can lead to greater injuries when they play hockey at higher levels where contact is more frequent and intense. They believe that if players are taught early, they will be more capable and aware of how to prepare for contact, which situations to avoid, the importance of keeping their heads up, or how to fall safely.
Contact is a major part of hockey for kids entering their teens, and understanding the physicality of the sport is important for staying safe. However, the risk of head injuries has caused the reduction of contact. Concussions are substantial and difficult experiences for people of all ages but are increasingly worrisome when experienced by children. Concussions create difficulty focusing or learning while also creating sleeping problems, anxiety or symptoms of depression. A person who has experienced concussions may be prone to lasting brain injuries and may be prone to further concussions.
Ultimately, all head injuries are unique situations with conditions specific to the individual and the incident. Studies suggest that multiple concussions will ultimately have a greater impact on the long-term health of an individual’s brain. CTE has been associated with the development of Alzheimer’s and the development of dementia. Experiencing concussions has also been associated with the development of Parkinson’s disease. A 2020 study shared by the Parkinson’s Foundation suggests a single concussion increased the risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease by 57 per cent and increased the risk of developing dementia by 72 per cent.
Pros vs Joes
In the last ten years, great criticism has come against professional sports leagues for the rate of head injuries among players. Many have criticized the NFL harshly for allowing players to step on the field with severe head injuries. Football has been the biggest target as players have long histories of head injuries, which often leads to the development of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), “a progressive and fatal brain disease associated with repeated traumatic brain injuries,” according to the Alzheimer’s Association. High rates of damage to the brain have caused the average age of former NFL players to die at 59.6 years old, 23 years below the Canadian average.
The NFL and the Canadian Football League have league officials who pay attention to players with head injuries. When they spot an individual who took a hit to the head or who seems to show symptoms of a concussion, the player is forced to leave the field of play to be screened for a concussion. Each league has players wearing Guardian Caps during practices and large protective foam shells placed on the exterior of their helmets. The CFL has gone so far as to allow players to play games with Guardian Caps, but no player has decided to be the first to do so.
In an infamous and difficult-to-watch series of events from the NFL star, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was concussed in a game after being shoved backwards, landing on his back with the momentum of his fall slamming his head into the hard artificial turf. Tagovailoa stumbled as he got to his feet and tripped as he ran to his team. He was cleared by the medical staff and returned to the game.
The very next week, he was approved by team doctors to play, but he was thrown down hard and hit his head again on the artificial turf in Cincinnati. The footage from that game is haunting as Tagovailoa was completely unconscious on the ground, his finger posed in bizarre and disturbing angles, an uncontrollable response of his nervous system after the blow to the head. He was stretchered off the field.
In the same season, 12 weeks later, he was thrown down hard on the back of his head on the grass field in Miami, the same point of the contact as the other two incidents. He remained in the game, throwing three interceptions after the hit. Coaches later stated he had since entered the concussion protocol, saying his in-game concussion went unnoticed.
In recent years, several NFL players have publicly stated that they regret their NFL career. In 2022, former Green Bay Packers defensive back and Super Bowl champion Sam Shields said concussions have caused his head to be “all mushed together with the concussions.” Shields missed nearly two seasons due to concussion assessments and says he questioned the aid received from the team while experiencing his injuries.
Many brains of former NFL players have been studied by various medical associations, assessing the extent of the trauma. Ninety-nine per cent of the brains analyzed showed clear signs of CTE. Former Super Bowl Champion Aaron Hernandez, who was arrested for homicide before taking his life in prison, was posthumously assessed to have had the worst case of CTE ever discovered in a 27-year-old. Some assessments determined his mental capability equivalent to someone in their 70s.
While these described instances are the worst-case scenario, as they involve people who made a living playing football, continually adding to the degree to which their brain is damaged, what ought to be kept in mind is while there is a spectrum of damaging situations, no concussion is a good one. For every NFL player who is involved in massive collisions well into their 30s there are thousands of young men who play in high school or college, taking similar damage for none of the pay.
Many parents believe kids are better off playing contact sports; however, the data shows just how dangerous it is for anyone to be involved in full-contact sports. While many groan on the sidelines, the games will continue to be made safer.
– Matthew Harrison, U Multicultural
