The new and improved concussion thread

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LadyStanley

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Sep 22, 2004
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http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/darren_dreger/?id=295625

Two NCAA college programs in the United States are using the latest in technology to study the cause and effect of head trauma on varsity hockey players. And the NHL has indicated interest in doing the same one day.
...
Greenwald says data compiled from the Dartmouth and Brown studies indicate some collisions in hockey compare to the most severe in football. Data also reveals that collisions in women's hockey also have a severe impact on the head – even though there is no deliberate body contact in the sport.

According to Greenwald, no one truly knows what the threshold is for concussions, but the data collected by HITS may go a long way to helping identify it. He also says this information is merely a tool to help teams identify if something has happened.
 

CS

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May 27, 2009
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The NHL is actually way behind on this.

http://www.themessierproject.com/

Cascade's project, fronted by Mark Messier, has been working on head injuries for a while now. From that site there are a lot of good links about conferences and articles done involving concussions and the Messier Project itself.

I actually got a chance to interview Messier about this. He explained that they have a full plan for out-reach. I know some NHLers are wearing the M11 helmet already (according to him, and I'm not sure who), and I recently received some releases about Harvard University wearing them as a team.

When I talked with Messier I asked him if he felt the NHL was dragging their feet in all of this. He said that there would be stuff coming from the league in the near future. I assume some of this is what he meant.

If you want some more information I'd be happy to supply it.
 

CC Chiefs*

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I have been talking about this until I'm blue in the face. The NHL needs to outlaw hits to the head legal/illegal. I think it's going to take a BIG name to get hurt really bad before anything is done.
 

Bear of Bad News

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Sep 27, 2005
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I'd support that (speaking as someone who has ten diagnosed concussions). And by "illegal", I mean suspensionable.

There would still have to be discretion, because otherwise a team could do set something up intentionally - for instance, Martin St. Louis is short enough that he could skate near Zdeno Chara's arm, and then extend his head into Chara's arm - just to get a suspension for Chara. So there will always be gray areas, and there has to be discretion, but I agree with the goal.
 

Morris Wanchuk

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Feb 10, 2006
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I think they should focus on regulating shoulder/elbow pads.

The comparison between now and even ten years ago is night and day. They need to limit the hard plastic on shoulder/elbow pads.


If everyone had shoulder pads like Shanahan, there would be a lot less head injuries.
 

LadyStanley

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Kritter471

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HITS is a very interesting system because it doesn't just track the big blows that we think of a concussion-causers, but it also tracks the strength and effect of all the legal, smaller hits sustained during a practice or a game. There's a lot of data that say concussions are cumulative, and HITS is trying to answer if receiving a lot of little blows to the head from bodychecks on the wall is as dangerous as the one shoulder to the chin.

The answers they've come up with (primarily using football research) is that it might be better to absolutely minimize hitting in practice because hits there make players much more vulnerable to sustaining concussions from even a medium-level hit in a game.

I don't put as much stock in Messier's take since he's actively trying to sell a helmet. I'm sure he means well, but anyone who's selling a product automatically takes a small credibility hit with me.
 

LadyStanley

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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor...ss1&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

300 athletes have agreed to annual testing and to donate their brains at death to continue the study, especially long term, of concussions. One thing they are looking for is signs of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

Including Keith Primeau.

The athlete registry is the work of the university's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, a collaborative venture between BU Medical School and the Sports Legacy Institute that's addressing what it calls the “concussion crisis†in sports. The group has been at the forefront of research into head trauma in sports and received a $1-million gift from the NFL, which it has pushed for better treatment of concussions.
...
Ideally, Nowinski said the centre would like to sign up 50 athletes from each sport. Most of the volunteers are men, but there are women in the registry including soccer player Cindy Parlow and swimmer Jenny Thompson.
Athletes who are enrolled in the registry take a medical history every year, perform cognitive tests and answer an array of questions, such as if they've been dealing with bouts of depression. It's a way to establish a medical baseline, helping researchers watch for signs of CTE, which can eventually lead to dementia.
“We have no idea how much head trauma is necessary to produce (CTE),†said Dr. Robert Cantu, a clinical professor of neurosurgery and co-founder of the institute. “We just know those who play sports and who have higher amounts of head trauma have a higher incident of it. ... This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of studying this problem.â€
 

King Woodballs

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Sep 25, 2007
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http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2010/10/18/1615592/mayo-clinic-summit-to-look-into.html

Mayo Clinic to hold summit looking into hockey concussions, especially the impact on kids.

I think this is a great idea.
I can relate all to well with this, as I myself have had a couple of pretty good concussions from playing hockey.

hope they can find a way of improving equpiment to help better prevent the occurances of concussions.
maybe they can eventually find a way to better treat them after they have happened too.
I would love too see that as well.
 

Tommy Hawk

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May 27, 2006
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I think this is a great idea.
I can relate all to well with this, as I myself have had a couple of pretty good concussions from playing hockey.

hope they can find a way of improving equpiment to help better prevent the occurances of concussions.
maybe they can eventually find a way to better treat them after they have happened too.
I would love too see that as well.

If they even wear them properly. Players don't even wear visors and some that do tip the helmets so far back, what's the point? Same with helmets.


http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5711010

MLB considering 7-day IR for all concussions.

Then they should also have an league doctor not answerable to the team do the evaluation. Also, allow player to be called up at that time and not have salary count against cap if at same or lower salary.

You cannot be too careful with concussions.
 

CC Chiefs*

Guest
With all of the info available we still are hearing from the people who think it's OKAY to blast a guy in the head. Do we need a death on the ice to get the point across?
 
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LadyStanley

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LadyStanley

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5720873&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines

NFLPA statement

DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, issued a statement regarding the crackdown on Saturday which focused on the league's position on health care if there is a lockout next season, worker's compensation and disabled veterans.
"The issue of player safety is bigger than just hits on Sunday," Smith said in the statement. "Players understand the difference between aggressive, split-second actions and dangerous play. ...
"While there are a range of punishments available as part of the on-field discipline system, the NFLPA will ensure the NFL strictly adhere to the existing rules and disciplinary process. We will also enforce the return to play guidelines and safety protocols and practices that occur out of the public eye.
"Our mission is to remain aggressive on player safety both on and off the field."
 

JuniorNelson

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Jan 21, 2010
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The obvious question is why are flimsey little half helmets allowed in a contact sport with speeds reaching over thirty miles an hour?

The "Messier" helmet, lauded as a major innovation seems best suited to covering baldness. Don't think so? I propose a test; put on the latest, greatest hockey helmet and I will attack you with a bat.

If you think I am being facetious, I am not. The impacts absorbed by players easily reaches the levels of an attack with a bat.

The NFL has approached the same problem seriously and adopted real rules regaurding the helmet. Newer helmet designs result in less injuries. Until the NHL approaches the problem seriously there won't be any improvement in safety.

Real helmets cover the entire head and dissapate energy. They are heavy. They are hot. They save lives.
 
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