Bodychecking and the risk of injury in youth ice hockey
2011-06-21
(Press-News.org) The age at which bodychecking is introduced in youth ice hockey does not appear to affect overall risk of injury and concussion, although introducing it at the Pee Wee level (ages 11-12) reduces the risk of injury resulting in more than seven days loss from playing time for Bantam ice hockey players (ages 13-14), found an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj101540.pdf.
The age to introduce bodychecking in youth hockey leagues is controversial. To determine whether there is a difference in risk of concussion and injuries from bodychecking at different ages, researchers looked at data from leagues in Alberta, which allow bodychecking at the Pee Wee level, and in Quebec, which introduce the practice at the Bantam level.
The study involved 995 players from 68 Bantam teams in Alberta with two years of bodychecking experience in Pee Wee and 976 players from 62 Quebec teams with no bodychecking experience in Pee Wee. The researchers included all hockey injuries requiring medical attention and/or leading to time loss from hockey.
There were a total of 272 injuries (51) concussions in Alberta during 96 907 player-hours and 244 injuries (49 concussions) in Quebec during 85 464 player-hours. Head and shoulder injuries were the most common in both groups. Previous injuries and concussions were risk factors for future injuries, and first-year players were at higher risk of injury than those in the second year of Bantam.
The risk of all injury and concussion did not differ between a Bantam league where bodychecking was introduced two years earlier in Pee Wee and a league where bodychecking was first introduced in Bantam. The risk of injury resulting in more than seven days' loss from playing time for Bantam ice hockey players however, was reduced by 33% in leagues where bodychecking was introduced two years earlier in Pee Wee.
"These findings need to be interpreted in light of previous evidence of more than a threefold increased risk of concussion and all injury among players aged 11-12 years in a league where bodychecking is permitted," writes Dr. Carolyn Emery, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, with coauthors.
"Policy regarding the age at which hockey players are introduced to bodychecking requires further consideration," the authors state. "Consideration should be given also to the age at which a player is able to make an informed decision about playing under these conditions of increased risk, perhaps after they have finished a critical physical growth period that could be focused on skill development."
INFORMATION:
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Calgary, Laval University, the Jewish General Hospital, McGill University and the Alberta Children's Hospital.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2011-06-21
To protect children from lifelong injuries in sports, we need a public health approach similar to that mounted against smoking and drunk driving, states an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj110634.pdf.
The annual rate of catastrophic injury in sports or recreational activities is 6.9 per 100 000 participants, and many of the injured are children and youth under age 21. Nearly 500 Ontarians alone are hospitalized each year from hockey injuries and concussions in particular can have long-term ...
2011-06-21
1. For Hypertension Patients, Single Reading Not Enough to Assess Blood Pressure Control
Using Multiple Readings Increases Measurement Accuracy
For patients with hypertension, physicians typically use a single in-office blood pressure (BP) reading to assess how well medical interventions are working and then adjust hypertension medications accordingly. However, some patients may experience a phenomenon known as "white coat" hypertension, meaning they have a higher than normal BP due to the anxiety associated with the office visit. Researchers sought to determine how ...
2011-06-21
A new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal by University of Calgary Faculty of Kinesiology researcher Dr. Carolyn Emery and colleagues has shown that when bodychecking is introduced into Bantam ice hockey there is no difference between overall injury rates or concussion, regardless of whether players have prior bodychecking experience in Pee Wee.
Emery, co-chair of the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre at the University of Calgary Sport Medicine Centre, began by comparing injury and concussion rates in Alberta where bodychecking is allowed, ...
2011-06-21
A shorter pause in CPR just before a defibrillator delivered an electric shock to a cardiac arrest victim's heart significantly increased survival, according to a study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers found the odds of surviving until hospital discharge were significantly lower for patients whose rescuers paused CPR for 20 seconds or more before delivering a shock (the pre-shock pause), and for patients whose rescuers paused CPR before and after defibrillation (the peri-shock pause) for 40 seconds or more, compared to patients with ...
2011-06-21
In a landmark newly published study (http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2011/985345/), scientists from State University, New York working collaboratively with researchers from HairGenesis, report the positive outcome of a set of basic science experiments designed to test an advanced hair regrowth formula in a cell-based model of human hair follicle keratinocytes. Combining naturally derived 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors with highly potent anti-inflammatory agents, the scientific team showed how their proprietary composition could potentially outperform single agent hair ...
2011-06-21
Chapel Hill, NC – Ongoing research into the problem of how Hepatitis C becomes a chronic disease has uncovered a deeper mystery about its sister strain, Hepatitis A.
Hepatitis C is a continuing public health problem, which is difficult to measure because symptoms occur months to years after infection. The World Health Organization estimates as many as 2 to 4 million people in the United States may have chronic Hepatitis C, and most do not know they are infected. More than a third of those who are long-term carriers may develop chronic liver disease or liver cancer.
"Hepatitis ...
2011-06-21
An exercise training program worked better than a commonly used beta blocker, significantly improving — even curing — patients with a debilitating heart syndrome, according to research published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) — called "The Grinch Syndrome" because most patients have a heart that's "two sizes too small" — affects about 500,000 Americans, primarily young women.
POTS is characterized by a rapid increase in heartbeat of more than 30 beats per minute or a heart rate that exceeds ...
2011-06-21
Millions of adults with peripheral artery disease are not receiving the medications needed to reduce their risk of heart attack, stroke and death, according to research in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Most patients are not receiving recommended therapies such as cholesterol and blood pressure-lowering medications, the study's authors found. Peripheral artery disease is the result of atherosclerosis, or blockages in the arteries in the legs caused by plaque. People with this disease have a significantly increased risk of having either a non-fatal ...
2011-06-21
For grownups, drifting off for an afternoon snooze is often easier said than done. But many of us have probably experienced just how simple it can be to catch those zzz's in a gently rocking hammock. By examining brain waves in sleeping adults, researchers reporting in the June 21 issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, now have evidence to explain why that is.
The study finds that napping on a slowly swinging bed really does get us to sleep faster. To the researchers' surprise, rocking also changes the nature of our sleep, encouraging deeper sleep.
"It ...
2011-06-21
Scientists have developed a new method to make proteins form crystals using 'smart materials' that remember the shape and characteristics of the molecule. The technique, reported today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, should assist research into new medicines by helping scientists work out the structure of drug targets.
The process of developing a new drug normally works by identifying a protein that is involved in the disease, then designing a molecule that will interact with the protein to stimulate or block its function. In order to do this, scientists ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Bodychecking and the risk of injury in youth ice hockey
