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Minor Hockey, Major Injury A growing number of young hockey players are suffering concussions. Can anything be done to stop the trend? By Susie Strachan
It was a mere five minutes into the second period of a game last fall between the Central Plains AA Midget Girls hockey team and Pembina Valley Hawks Female AA Midget team.
Jillene Rodgers was battling for the puck with an opponent behind the Hawks' net. Up in the stands, her parents, Ron and Carol Rodgers, cheered their daughter on. Jillene won the battle and passed the puck to her teammate. And then it happened - the opposing player slammed Jillene to the ice. She fell backwards, hitting her shoulder first and then her head. There was no penalty called on the play. The arena went quiet as the referee skated over to check on Jillene. Shaken but still conscious, the 16-year-old girl got up and made her way to the bench. By that time, Ron was there waiting to check on her. "My parents and coaches knew something was wrong. I didn't really remember what was going on," says Jillene, recalling the incident. Twenty minutes later, she still had no recollection of what had happened. The coaches told Jillene to head for the dressing room to change. But even that relatively simple task proved too difficult for her. Carol went to help and found her sitting there, confused about what had happened. Her parents drove Jillene to the hospital in Portage la Prairie, where she was diagnosed with a concussion, before taking her to the Winnipeg Health Region's Pan Am Clinic for further diagnosis and treatment. Today, Jillene has no memory of the incident that occurred last fall. "I do remember the first period. I got a good break-away but couldn't get a good shot. In the second period, the other girl hooked my stick. I woke up after the game. I can't remember the end of the second period at all," says the Grade 11 McGregor Collegiate student. The visit to the Pan Am Clinic was not the first for Ron. Just last June, he had taken his son Kienan to the clinic after the 14-year-old suffered a concussion while playing hockey in the AAA Subway Manitoba Classic for the Manitoba Express. Having gone through the drill with his son, Ron knew what to expect. A concussion can be defined as stress to the brain, usually the result of the brain bumping up against the skull. This type of injury can result in memory loss, dizziness and headaches. Repeated concussions can cause permanent memory loss, loss of brain function and personality change. "A concussion has some of the same symptoms of a brain dysfunction like a stroke or not being sober," says Stan Szumlak, an athletic therapist at the Pan Am Clinic who helps treat people with concussions. "You may see a player get knocked silly on the ice, and their fight or flight instincts will kick in. If asked, they often want to get right back into the game. They may even lie about their symptoms, if they feel the game is important. But once back in the game, the player more often than not is confused as to what they are supposed to do." Concussions, particularly among athletes, have often been dismissed as a health issue. Getting your "bell rung" was simply a part of the game, and getting back into the play after suffering a devastating hit was considered a sign of toughness and courage. This past season, for example, controversy arose when Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger missed a game because of post-concussion syndrome. One teammate suggested that perhaps the quarterback should have played despite the concussion, noting that some players would lie about their health in order to get into a game. Kurt Warner, who plays quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals and has a history of concussion problems, took himself out of a game earlier this season because of lingering concussion symptoms. He told reporters that he felt his teammates and coaches were disappointed in him for doing so. But that attitude is slowly changing. In Canada, awareness about concussions started to grow with news of the problems experienced by National Hockey League players. For example, star forward Eric Lindros, who retired in 2007, suffered numerous concussions during his career, beginning in 1998. His brother Brett, meanwhile, retired in 1996 because of problems with concussions after playing less than a year in the league. Today, concussions among young athletes, particularly those who play hockey, are on the rise, according to sports health experts. Part of the reason is better education and detection, but much of the increase can also be attributed to the fact that players are bigger, stronger, faster and can hit harder. Statistics show that more concussions occur in leagues that allow contact play. Teenage boys between the ages of 13 and 15 vary in size and physical ability, when some of the kids can be as much as 50 kg heavier and 55 cm taller than other players. Body checking - the attempt to separate your opponent from the puck by using shoulders or hips to contact the other player - makes for fast-paced and exciting hockey games, but it's also associated with high rates of injury. Staff at hospitals and clinics throughout the Winnipeg Health Region see concussions in adolescents from a variety of sports, including hockey, football, lacrosse, rugby, judo and soccer. Winter sports such as downhill skiing and snowboarding are another source of concussions. Kids also come in after falling off the play structure or colliding with a tree on the tobogganing hill.
Wave is published six times a year by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority in cooperation with the Winnipeg Free Press. It is available at newsstands, hospitals and clinics throughout Winnipeg, as well as McNally Robinson Books.
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