Recent Canadian Study Helps Youngsters to Prevent Brain Injury

Dr. Michael Cusimano, photo courtesy of St. Michaels HospitalAccording to a new study by St. Michael's Hospital in Canada, hockey took up 44.3 percent of all injuries and almost 70 percent of them occurred in children over 10 because of player-to-player contact or being hit into the boards. The study collected data from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program to look at almost 13,000 children and youth aged 5-19 who had a sports-related brain injury between 1990 and 2009. The results also found that the youngest age group was at the highest risk for getting seriously injured in baseball. Most of the 15.3 percent of injuries occurred in children under the age of 14, with 45 percent of them in children under nine. "These results give us a very specific prevention message for kids under nine who play baseball: make helmets and supervision mandatory," said Dr. Cusimano, a neurosurgeon and leader of the study. He further suggests that "having educational programs, proper equipment, rules and other incentives that support a culture of safety in sports should be a mandate of parents, coaches, players, sports organizations, schools, sports sponsors, and other groups like governments."

More information is at: Science Daily, "New Study Aims to Prevent Sports-Related Brain Injury in Youngsters"