Friday, March 12, 2010 Image From:

 “Concussion may be caused either by a direct blow to the head, face, neck or else where on the body with an ‘impulsive’ force transmitted to the head.” (Play it Cool, 2010)

 From the “Play it Cool” website  “Concussion typically results in the rapid onset of short-lived impairment of neurologic function that resolves spontaneously.” Examples include:  Nausea, double or fuzzy vision, sensitivity to light or noise, headache, feeling sluggish, feeling foggy or groggy, concentration or memory problems, confusion

 Tuesday, February, 26, 2010  Running an on-ice practice with the varsity girls hockey team, I collided with a student & hit my head on the ice (I was wearing a helmet)  Symptoms:  Dizzy  Felt sick to my stomach  Was spacey (a.k.a. – I was out of it)  Headaches for about 2 weeks

 Tuesday, March 2, 2010  Hit in the back of the head with a hard rubber ball while playing European handball with the grade 12 co-ed class  Symptoms:  Instant headache (has not gone away)  I was totally out of it  Vision in left eye was blurry, out of focus, & I was seeing lines across my eye

 The Globe & Mail (Tuesday, March 9, 2010)  Concussion effects linger for decades, study finds  The Globe & Mail (Monday, March 8, 2010)  Concussions can’t be eliminated completely  National Post (Thursday, February 25, 2010)  NFL combine puts more emphasis on concussions

 Grade 11 University Biology (SBI3U)  Strand E. Animals: Structure & Function  Specific Expectation:  E1.1: Evaluate the importance of various technologies, including Canadian contributions, to our understanding of internal body systems ( e.g.,... Nuclear magnetic resonance [NMR] imaging can be used to diagnose injuries...)

 Grade 11 University Physics (SPH3U)  Strand C: Forces  Specific Expectation  C 1.2: Evaluate the impact on society and the environment of technologies that use principles of force

 You can suffer a concussion while engaging in sports such as hockey, football, soccer, boxing and other sports, or leisure activities, for example tobogganing  In the past 2.5 years, 200 concussions have been reported among NHL players (Globe Sports, 2010, Section R7)  “Close to 10% of minor hockey players suffer concussions each year” (The Globe & Mail: Concussion effects linger for decades, 2010)  “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 1.4 and 3.6 million sports and recreation-related concussions occur each year, with the majority happening at the high school level.” (Science Daily, 2007)

 “ Traditional brain scanning techniques such as MRI and CT are helpful in viewing changes to the brain anatomy in more severe cases, but cannot identify subtle brain-related changes that are believed to occur on a metabolic rather than an anatomic level.” (Science Daily, 2007)  ImPACT Test  Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment & Cognitive Testing  Used a baseline and for post-concussion comparison)  Measures multiple aspects of cognitive functioning including neurological tests that look at word discrimination, X’s & O’s, colour match, symbol matching, visual attention span (

 The Messier Project  “... is an all-encompassing grassroots and educational initiative which aims to change priorities in the sport by encouraging athletes to play smart and choose the best protective equipment.” (  The Technology  “Seven Technology is tuned to absorb impact using lateral displacement, providing the protection of two helmets in the space of one – one for catastrophic hits and one for concussions.” (  The Helmet The Helmet

 CBC News – Health (2010). Concussions should be termed brain injury: study. Retrieved March 9, 2010 from brain-injury.html brain-injury.html  The Globe & Mail (2010). Concussion effects linger for decades, study finds. Retrieved March 9, 2010 from linger-for-decades-study-finds/article / linger-for-decades-study-finds/article /  The Globe & Mail (2010). Concussions can’t be eliminated completely. Retrieved Tuesday, March 9, 2010 from be-eliminated-completely/article / be-eliminated-completely/article /  ImPACT Test (2010). Retrieved March 10, 2010 from

 National Post (2010). NFL combine puts more emphasis on concussions. Retrieved Tuesday, March 9, 2010 from  The Messier Project (2010). Retrieved Tuesday, March 10, 2010 from  Play it Cool – Keeping Hockey Safe (2010). Retrieved March 10, 2010 from  Shoalts, D. (2010, March 9). NHL focuses attention on shoulder hits to head. The Globe & Mail, pp. R7.  Science Daily (2007). Sports concussions research using Functional MRI provides insight for safe return to play. Retrieved March 9, 2010 from