Head injuries go to House of Commons

"Queen’s Athletic Therapy co-ordinator Vicky Wiltshire said it’s important to promote concussion education. She said the higher number of reported concussions among Queen’s athletes might have to do with an increased awareness about the dangers of head injuries.

“It’s really hard to tell whether there are more concussions happening or we’re just seeing more because we’re better educated,” she said, adding that coaches don’t say “it’s just a bell-ringer” anymore.

“People are at least starting to open their eyes,” she said.

Athletic Therapy follows the Concussion in Sport Group guidelines to evaluate concussed athletes, concluding daily check-ups until symptoms clear up. If symptoms persist, athletes are referred to sports medicine physicians.

Wiltshire said most athletes recover within a week but some have suffered long-term effects.

“We have a very small number of athletes who, weeks later, can’t sit through a lecture without getting a headache,” she said. “It can be scary and really debilitating … sometimes you don’t recover from it.”

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Varied symptoms of concussion may need treatment by many different therapists

"At York University in Toronto, the sport injury clinic provides a team approach to dealing with concussions among players on its varsity teams.

Sports medicine doctors, physiotherapists, chiropractors, massage therapists and more all bring their individual specialty to get an athlete back on the field or ice, but always with a go-slow approach, says Cindy Hughes, head athletic therapist and clinic manager."

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"One of those therapies is osteopathy, a system of hands-on manipulation of the bones and tissues aimed at restoring the body to health.

Part of that treatment can include cranial-sacral massage, says Natalie Randall, an athletic therapist and osteopath at Cove Sport Therapy in Dartmouth, N.S.

The osteopath will work on what's called the dura mater ("tough mother" in Latin), one of the protective layers around the spinal cord upwards from the sacrum, or tailbone, that also cushions the brain inside the skull."

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Seafair adopts concussion protocol

"To effectively implement the protocol the association needs to first establish a baseline. It started this process last weekend by joining forcing with Richmond-based Evolution Sport Therapy, whose athletic therapy team tested players from two of Seafair’s Atom Division and Midget rep teams at its clinic. Using the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 2 (SCAT2), which represents a standardized method of evaluating injured athletes aged 10 and over for a concussion, players were put through a series of cognitive and physical evaluations from which a baseline score was established. The score, which varies from player to player, can be a valuable tool if the player suffers a concussion in the future.

The players also participated in functional screening tests, a ranking and grading system that documents movement patterns for each individual that are vital to normal function."

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Mandatory minor hockey program launched to cut down on concussions

"Niagara IceDogs athletic therapist Peter Dobbin said his players do online baseline tests every year, something that is mandated by the Ontario Hockey League.

Dobbin, a strong testing supporter, said the tests are hard to fudge as it uses a player's responses as a baseline for evolving concussion problems.

The information is then assessed by a hockey neuropsychologist for possible concussion signs.

If a player gets any future blow to the head or other injury where a concussion is possible, they are retested.

Players indicating problems are placed in a return-to-play protocol under physicians' supervision.

Dobbin said he usually has from three to seven players with these issues each year.

That said, not all medical experts approve of the baseline testing for concussions.

Clinicians in some media accounts suggest concussions should be managed entirely by doctors. It is argued some players might be back on the ice before they're ready.

Those interviewed for this story who use baseline testing strongly defend it. They say it flags more players that may not be showing obvious symptoms like headaches.

Qualified doctors are involved when concussion issues are identified, they say.

"It takes the guesswork out of it, in my opinion," Dobbin said, adding leagues that currently rely only on trainers to assess concussions could make good use of testing."

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