As many as one in five Canadians have suffered a sport-related concussion before the age of 18, according to a recent Angus Reid Institute survey. While most people know concussions affect countless professional athletes, this alarming general population survey doesn’t surprise Michael Hutchison, a professor in U of T’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education.
As the Director of the Concussion Program at the Faculty’s David L. MacIntosh Sport Medicine Clinic, he’s at the forefront of investigating ways to manage these complex injuries in more effective ways.
In this Q&A, he explains why understanding sport-related brain injury is so important, and how he’s helping to protect our young athletes’ brains and futures.
Why is it important to study concussions in young athletes?
In the past, researchers primarily studied this injury in adults and professional athletes. But new studies show young athletes are a unique population and recover more slowly from concussions than adults. This is partly because young athletes’ brains are still developing, but it’s also due to a lack of awareness. For example, a child could play on a community sports team, suffer a concussion and not have any trained professionals around to identify the injury. Also, the young athlete may not know they should tell an adult, or how to articulate their symptoms. It’s important we have dedicated research to examine younger athletes so we can understand what’s happening to this specific population. We want to manage their symptoms and recovery more effectively.
Why are brain injuries underreported?
We often rely on data from U.S. high school or university databases and emergency room visits. But the numbers don’t necessarily reflect the “milder” injuries — many athletes who suffer a concussion don’t go to the emergency room and there is no way to systematically capture this information. We also have difficulty diagnosing concussions because they don’t show on common imaging technology, including CT scans.
How do you help athletes cope with concussions?
The Faculty developed one of the first comprehensive programs in the country to deal with concussions among student athletes. We’ve worked closely with the MacIntosh Clinic to develop specific protocols for students and athletes.
It is important to keep in mind that young athletes lead complex, busy lives including school, social activities and sports. After suffering a concussion, young athletes might have trouble dealing with all of these activities. By managing and gradually re-introducing different physical, cognitive and sensory stressors, we help adolescents and adults return to their daily activities.
How is your research changing our understanding of concussions?
We’re using sophisticated imaging technology with our colleagues at St. Michael’s Hospital to study the structural, functional and metabolic changes in the concussed brain. We’re also partnering with Canada’s Department of National Defence to study novel inflammatory markers in the blood. We’re trying to identify and track the metabolic cascade of neurons over time and how this relates to athletes’ recovery. Our hope is to improve the way we measure recovery as well as to identify those who might be at increased risk of injury or longer recovery time.
What advice would you give to concerned parents?
Unfortunately, there’s no magic bullet to prevent or cure concussions. When participating in activities, there’s always a risk of getting injured. Common sense is always the best approach though. In terms of prevention, we recommend using helmets and limiting risky behaviour. And if a young athlete does suffer a concussion, it’s important to stop the activity immediately and seek medical attention.