Documenting head impacts in youth hockey

Sport-related concussions, which can result in long-lasting adverse cognitive and behavioural effects in athletes, have gained the attention of the research community since an estimated 200,000 concussions are reported in Canada each year. While concussions occur in many sports, most of the research on the mechanisms of concussive impacts has focused on football, despite double the concussion rate in hockey. Concussions in youth athletes often result in more detrimental physiological consequences compared to adults, but most research has been conducted in professional sport. With approximately half a million players registering in minor league hockey in Canada every year, concussion awareness and prevention in this susceptible population is therefore imperative to reducing health concerns. Consequently, our proposed study aims to fill this gap within the existing literature by examining head impacts in youth hockey. We will utilize a multi-camera video system to record youth hockey games at local rinks in Windsor-Essex County. From the video records, the following measures related to head impacts that occur during play will be quantified: impact type, frequency, and location; player anticipation based on body position prior to impact, and; head velocities and impact severities. Once described and quantified, these data will provide a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in head impacts in youth hockey. It is also expected that our results will help to inform the development of interventions that reduce head injury rates, including concussions, through concussion education, training in bodychecking anticipation, and possible rule changes that limit head impact potential