The goalkeeper of Maple Leafs, Anthony Stolanz's injury, emphasizes concerns about the concussion of the brain in ice hockey

During the first game of the running playoff series by Maple Leaf against the Florida Panthers, the Leafs goalkeeper Anthony was hit by Panther's striker Sam Bennett in his head.

Although the stolance stayed in the game for a few minutes after the goal, he finally ran to the bank, vomited and left the ice. He was later stretched out of the arena and taken to a hospital. The Stolance returned to his teammates the next day, but will not play in game 2 and is expected to return to the series.

It is unclear whether he was officially diagnosed with a concussion, but the incident has once again sparked the concern about brain injuries in hockey.

As researchers who specialize in biomechanics of brain injuries, we use both experimental (labor -based) and arithmetic methods to examine the biomechanical mechanisms of concussion and to examine effective prevention strategies.

Cases like this underline the importance of recognition, management and prevention of conceals, especially in sports such as hockey, in which head injuries remain a considerable risk.

Skin of the brain and TBI in ice hockey

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), including concussion, is a growing problem of public health worldwide. These injuries result from direct or indirect effects on the head and can have both immediate and long -term health consequences.

In the United States alone, 1.6 to 3.8 million sports occur in connection with sports. In Canada, around 24 percent of the reported conceals of the brain are related to sports. In 2019, around 1.6 percent of the people in Canada – more than 400,000 people – reported at least one concussion from the age of 12.

ICE hockey, one of the most popular sports of Canada, is associated with a particularly high risk of concussion. Around 22 percent of Canadian ice hockey players between the ages of 10 and 25 experience at least one concussion. According to the official injury reports from the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association, brain conceals can occur up to 24.3 times per 1,000 players.

The risks remain significant on a professional level. Based on the average values ​​of the National Hockey League season 2009 to 10, 2010-11 and 2011-12, about 5.8 brain conceals per 100 players performed every season. The loss of salary in connection with brains also achieved $ 42.8 million in one year.

What happens during a concussion?

From a biomechanical point of view, there is a concussion when the head experiences an external influence. Since the skull is very stiff and the brain has inertia, the skull moves immediately, while the brain initially stays in its original position. The brain finally catches up with the movement of the skull.

In straight or translative effects, the skull compresses the brain at the contact point and creates a localized overpressure. At the same time, the movement of the skull on the opposite side of the brain creates a negative pressure.

In the case of rotational effects – when the head is turned – the movement of the skull causes shear forces within the brain tissue, which means that it is deformed. Since the brain consists of different regions that are responsible for different functions, this tissue deformation can influence specific functional regions of the brain, which leads to the area of ​​symptoms associated with a concussion.

Understand brain concealing symptoms

Information can affect a number of functions, including physical, cognitive, emotional and cognitive skills.

Typical symptoms are headache, dizziness, problems with balance, vomiting, blurred vision, confusion, sleep problems, memory problems and even loss of consciousness.

These symptoms are often observed in athletes, including those in ice hockey. In the case of NHL athletes, the most commonly reported symptoms after the concession in the order of the frequency are headache, dizziness, nausea, neck pain, low energy or tiredness, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, nervousness or fear, irritability and vomiting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se2xuxUxvzsv4

You can occur hours or even days later in the brain conceals that occur immediately after a head impact. While most of the brain conceals can recover within seven to ten days, some could take longer.

While the short-term effects typically include headaches, vomiting and dizziness, the long-term effects can cause symptoms such as long-term memory loss, depression and an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Surface evaluation and management evaluation

The diagnosis of conceals is a challenge because they are not visible in conventional imaging techniques such as CT scans. Instead, brain concealing ratings are based on the clinical evaluation of the symptoms.

The NHL has a brain coating protocol in which the players have to be removed immediately for evaluation if you are suspected. The decision is based on observed physical, cognitive, emotional and sleep -related symptoms.

Other evaluation methods such as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) are also used to evaluate TBIs and conceals. The GCS evaluates the severity of TBI by evaluating the opening of the eye, verbal reaction and motor reaction to a scale. The GCS value of 13-15 is classified as a mild TBI or a concussion.

Those who are suspected that there is a concussion should stop all activities and seek medical help in order to start a concussion and to receive instructions for recovery and rehabilitation.

Scertion of the brain and prediction

The reduction of sports -related crew's concealing rates requires a multifaceted approach, including political changes, strict enforcement of rules and increased education and awareness.

Protective equipment also plays a key role. Helmets in particular protect the head from injuries. A study showed that wearing a helmet in ice hockey can reduce the linear acceleration of the headyards, the rotation speed and the brain strain, which results from external effects. Continuous improvements in ice hockey helmet design can be further reduced.

In order to better understand and predict brain conceals, biomechanical researchers have developed injury metrics based on head kinematics and brain stem. Headkinematics-based injury metrics such as linear lace accelerations and top rotation acceleration are derived from the sensor-fitting movement.

Another promising approach includes metrics on brain stems that use high -friendly computer models to estimate the deformation of the brain tissue. Since the brain tribe is closely associated with the risk of brain injury, these models are valuable for the prediction and analysis of cerebral conception mechanisms.

Ultimately, the fight against concealing brain in ice hockey requires continuous interdisciplinary research in order to better understand and tackle brain conceals in ice hockey. Protecting players from concussion is of the utmost importance to ensure that the game develops as safe as competitive.