Don’t use your head

If you had Canadaโ€™s top concussion specialist, Dr. Charles Tator, of Toronto Western Hospital, cornered for 10 minutes, what would you ask him?

Concussions are a serious problem. And it doesn’t just impact the Sidney Crosbys of the world. Dr. Charles Tator realized something needed to be done back in 1992, and he founded Think First (www.thinkfirst.ca) to educate people about the prevention of brain and spinal cord injuries.

What is a concussion?

A change in mental functioning due to a blow to the head or any other part of the body.

What are the symptoms to watch out for?

The symptoms are usually temporary, especially after the first concussion, which usually goes away in minutes, hours or days. They can be headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sensitivity to light and sound, memory loss. Loss of consciousness can occur, and in the minority, longer-term symptoms can develop.

So when do I see a doctor?

After every concussion it is recommended that you see a doctor as soon as possible. If it is a sports-type concussion, you shouldn’t return to play until you have been given a program to monitor your condition after gradually increasing exercise. 

So just no sports?

Another significant change over the past 10 years is that we recommend not only physical rest, but also mental rest. Kids with concussions shouldn’t go home and play complex video games and do their homework as diligently as before…. Exerting themselves mentally can make them worse. Is there an increased risk in younger children? Yes, we do feel the young brain is more susceptible to concussions and takes longer to recover than the older brain. We need to make sure kids don’t go back into play once they’ve had a concussion. I’ve seen a child, 13 years old, who has had three concussions already. It is now about a year since his last concussion, and he’s still not back to normal.

Are there sports that are particularly risky in this area?

The ones that cause a lot of concussions are hockey, football,rugby, basketball, soccer. Any sport, of course, can result in concussions and so can a fall down stairs or a motor vehicle crash. Concussions aren’t limited to sports, but sports really cause this syndrome of repeated concussions more often. Would a helmet even do anything for concussions? A helmet is perfectly capable of preventing more severe brain injuries, such as skull fractures. But a helmet cannot prevent most concussions.

What more is needed?

What’s required is a change in the culture of sport. For example, reintroducing the idea of respect. Respect your own brain, know that it can be damaged and respect the other players. For example, the hit on Sidney Crosby, I mean that was something that could have been avoided. The shoulder of the opposing player whacking him in the head. That is typical of the lack of respect that has crept into some sports. You have to deal with that through education and by rule changes and better engineering.

Engineering?

Well, shoulder pads, for instance, have gone a bit cuckoo. Nowadays, shoulder pads are like pieces of steel and are used as offensive weapons, rather than defensive weapons. What are the longer-term risks? It has now been shown that pro players that get repeated concussions can come down with brain degeneration of a whole variety of types. For example, Mohammad Ali had a Parkinson’s type of degeneration.

Do you find that athletes, even young ones, hold back info to keep playing?

Oh yes, many players don’t even want to acknowledge they had a concussion because it might interfere with their career. Even with the younger kids, if the sport has gotten into their psyche, they don’t want to report their concussions. There is a massive underreporting for those reasons.

How can parents help?

Parents need to be educated. They need to know why a kid needs to be held back and, if there is a permanent deficit, why they should never go back. We also don’t want parents to end up encouraging aggression and violence as spectators. For example, some parents are out of line in terms of encouraging hitting and injury.

Article exclusive to STREETS OF TORONTO