Concussions ruin quality of life for young athletes
Concussions can make life so miserable for some young athletes that they rate their level of happiness at about the same level as chemotherapy patients, new research reveals.
The Concussion Research Project at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario has studied 25 children who suffered sports-related concussions and continued to suffer from headaches and other symptoms three months after the incident.
The research project began in May 2011 and accepted referrals from CHEO’s emergency department and from physicians.
Led by CHEO neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Vassilyadi, the project has worked with 15 boys and 10 girls, all of whom suffered from persistent concussion symptoms. The patients ranged in age from 12 to 17.
Eight of the children suffered their head injuries while playing hockey. Smaller numbers were the result of sports such as basketball, football, gymnastics, snowboarding and tobogganing.
Researchers found that all of them suffered from a constellation of symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, a lack of concentration and sensitivity to light.
Those suffering their first concussion reported an average of five moderate to severe symptoms, while those with a previous concussion experienced more than twice that number.
When the patients assessed their quality of life using a standardized survey, their scores were surprisingly low — at about the same level as children undergoing chemotherapy.
Dr. Vassilyadi released the preliminary findings of the research study Wednesday at the Brain Injury Association of Canada’s annual conference in Ottawa.
He said the findings underline the potential seriousness of concussions — and the importance of trying to prevent them.
“Concussions used to be called mild head injuries, but I don’t call them that any longer,” Dr. Vassilyadi told conference delegates.