BY: KAROLINA URBAN
Its been over two years since my last concussion, which I got while playing hockey. I still have difficulty focusing and remembering small details. I have anxiety and, at times, I feel down.
Although I no longer have a concussion, I don’t feel exactly the same as I did before my brain injury, and that is exactly what has captivated me for over the past several years as a researcher.
I continually ask myself, why is it that we can’t fully understand what is going on after a concussion? What is the piece of the puzzle we are missing and how do we get people recovered to a point where they can get back to doing what they love without any consequences? How can we find a way to assess concussions that don’t rely on subjective symptom reporting? More importantly, how do we educate people about brain injuries so they make an informed decision?
These are just some of questions that go through my head.
I think most athletes can say they have lied about aches or pains they have had occur in games or practices. Many have played through broken bones, torn or sprained muscles or joints.
This is part of the team-first culture, where blocking shots, taking a hit to make the play, or playing through an injury is idolized. However, there is a huge difference between injuries to the body and injuries and injuries to the brain.
The brain is truly extraordinary. It makes it possible for us to do the things we love, such as communicate, learn, share joy and many other things. How we achieve tasks such as skating, or how we understand situations and make decisions involves complex processes with many thousands of connections, millions of neurons firing, tens of millions support cells and all of this is completed at an incredible speed.
And yet sometimes we treat the brain as just another tool in our body, a sacrifice to the team.
When I think of it from another perspective I realize this is the wrong way to look at it!
The brain is what gives us the team-first attitude, what helps us make the correct decisions, and to achieve specific skills. Without it functioning properly we can not be the best we can be. And this is the perspective I know have taken on when I talk to young athletes who have sustained a mild traumatic brain injury. But is this enough to keep them from playing is yet to be seen.
Recently I became an assistant coach for a competitive female hockey team. One of the players was tripped up and hit her head on the end boards. She came off upset, emotional, in pain and clearly could have sustained a concussion. After the ice clean she came back out and wanted to play. Despite all my knowledge about brain injuries, I found it extremely difficult to tell her she needed to sit out the rest of the game.
It is hard to tell an athlete they can’t go back out there and that they need to rests especially when its all they have known their whole life.
“Get knocked down, get back up.”
“No pain, no gain.”
“Sacrifice your body to win the game.”
But how can we change this? How can we ensure our trainers, who are responsible for pulling the players out of the game, feel comfortable and believe that it is the right decision? Or can we make the athletes realize they need to be more accountable for their own health and long-term development? Maybe it’s the combination of both?
I can’t say I have the answer, but I can touch on some ways to change this problem.
Mentors
We need mentors, we need people such as Sidney Crosby or Jennifer Botterill speaking about their injuries and what they could have done or should have done to prevent those months of symptoms.
We all know that players are more likely to listen to those who have gone through similar situations, especially when their idols. I can say I probably wouldn’t have thought about the injury any differently if a doctor, teacher came up and told me not to do something or to be honest about the injury. I mean they told me not to play through a torn tendon in my knee in playoffs, which I completely ignored.
Education
Despite the media constantly speaking about concussions, there is a lack of knowledge about the injury, symptoms, possible long term impact, what to do when you have a concussion, and what resources are available.
One example of a recent partnership is between the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab Hospital Concussion Centre. This partnership is an example of how leagues are hoping to educate their players, parents, referees and coaches.
The brain is one of the most complex systems in our body, yet there is little time allocated to teaching about the brain, diagnosis, and rehabilitation.
Many medical schools only spend about an hour or so covering concussions. Physiotherapists have limited education on the subject, which is concerning as they deal with many athletes.
We need to develop supports and education for all stakeholders – parents, coaches and trainers.
FEATURED IMAGE PHOTO CREDIT: Learning the hard way via photopin (license)
Karolina Urban is a former University of Toronto and Canadian Women’s Hockey League player. Currently she is a PhD student at the Concussion Centre in Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab Hospital.
Filed under: Awareness, Concussion, Uncategorized 
