Kathryn Schneider

Objective To examine the risk of concussion amongst elite youth male and female ice hockey players. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Community ice rinks and sport medicine clinics. Participants 764 Bantam (12–14 years) and Midget (15–17 years) ice hockey players. Assessment of Risk Factors: 743 players completed baseline SCAT2 testing (2011/2012 season). Age group, sex, previous concussion history, Total Symptoms Score (TSS), Balance Error Score (BES), Standardised Assessment of Concussion (SAC) Score and SCAT2 Total Score at baseline were evaluated as potential risk factors. Higher scores indicate greater impairment or symptoms. Main Outcome Measurements Players with a suspected concussion were assessed by a team therapist and referred to a sport medicine physician. Results Multivariate Poisson Regression analyses, adjusted for cluster by team, were used to estimate concussion risk ratios (RR). The RR for Bantam players with previous concussion history was 1.15 (95% CI 0.69 to 1.90) and for Midget players with previous concussion history was 2.83 (95% CI 1.69 to 4.72) compared to players in the same age group with no previous concussion history. The RR for players with baseline TSS and SCAT2 Total Score in the lowest 25%ile were 1.54 (95% CI 1.07 to 2.20) and 1.40 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.90), respectively, compared to those in the upper 75%ile. Sex, BES and SAC score were not predictive of concussion. Conclusions There is a greater risk of concussion in elite ice hockey players 15–17 years old with a previous history of concussion. Baseline TSS and SCAT2 Total Score in the lowest 25%ile are also predictive of concussion. Acknowledgements The University of Calgary Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre is one of the International Research Centres for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health supported by the International Olympic Committee. We also acknowledge the support of Alberta Innovates Health Solutions, the Alberta Children's Hospital Institute for Child and Maternal Health (Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation) and Talisman Energy for their generous support.

Concussion is a common injury in sport. Most individuals recover in 7-10 days but some have persistent symptoms. The objective of this study was to determine if a combination of vestibular rehabilitation and cervical spine physiotherapy decreased the time until medical clearance in individuals with prolonged postconcussion symptoms. This study was a randomised controlled trial. Consecutive patients with persistent symptoms of dizziness, neck pain and/or headaches following a sport-related concussion (12-30 years, 18 male and 13 female) were randomised to the control or intervention group. Both groups received weekly sessions with a physiotherapist for 8 weeks or until the time of medical clearance. Both groups received postural education, range of motion exercises and cognitive and physical rest until asymptomatic followed by a protocol of graded exertion. The intervention group also received cervical spine and vestibular rehabilitation. The primary outcome of interest was medical c...

BackgroundConcussion is a commonly encountered injury associated with potential long-term sequelae. No previous studies have evaluated dizziness, neck pain and headache as potential risk factors for concussion.ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to determine the risk of concussion in male youth hockey players with preseason reports of neck pain, headaches and dizziness.DesignThis study is a secondary data analysis of a

Concussion is one of the most commonly occurring injuries in sport today. The Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) is a commonly used paper neurocognitive tool. To date, little is known about SCAT baseline normative values in youth athletes. The purpose of this study was to determine normative values on the SCAT for male and female youth hockey players. This is a secondary data analysis of pooled data from three prospective cohort studies examining the risk of injury in paediatric ice hockey players aged 9-17 years. A preseason baseline demographic and injury history questionnaire was completed by each player. A total of 4193 players completed SCATs at baseline and were included in the analysis. 781 players (18.6%) reported a previous history of concussion. Fatigue and low energy followed by headache were the most commonly reported symptoms in all players. The majority of youth players could recite all five words immediately but only three words when delayed. A smaller proportion of the males were able to report the months of the year in reverse order compared with females of a similar age. The median number of digits recited in reverse order was 4. Youth ratings varied between age groups, gender and from previously reported ratings of varsity athletes, possibly reflecting developmental and gender differences. An understanding of these differences in youth athletes is important to ensure appropriate performance expectations on the SCAT and when making clinical decisions following a concussion.