Rangers on health study
Posted Nov 4, 2010 05:20:08 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Kitchener Rangers don’t want to play head games.
At a news conference in Toronto earlier this week, a panel of doctors released findings that, among other things, included news that 29 per cent of players who had a concussion also endured recurring concussions.
Earlier research from an Ontario study concluded that 25 per cent of junior hockey players on two unnamed teams suffered concussions last year.
Rangers trainer Dan Lebold says studies surrounding head injuries is an ever-evolving body of research.
“Not terribly long ago, you’d just shake it off and throw some water on your face,” Lebold admits. “It was normal to feel a little bit abnormal.”
But that’s no longer the case, according to Lebold. In many instances, a player won’t even be allowed to take another shift or two in a bid to clear the cobwebs. And Lebold says that’s a direct result of the constant research on concussions.
“The results of the studies have shown that (the players) are actually back (into the line-up) quicker and they stay back if we take them out early enough,” Lebold explains.
All 20 OHL teams now work with a league neuropsychologist that helps them understand and manage concussions, a strategy that Lebold welcomes.
For injuries from the shoulders down, he says, team trainers and medical staff have a “return to play strategy” that includes rest, rehabilitation and recovery.
Not so for head injuries.
“Above the shoulder, even the top doctors are still learning about head injuries,” Lebold states. “And the problem is that every head injury is different.”
Those differences are compounded by multiple head injuries, such as those suffered by former Ranger captain Dan Kelly. Lebold says the return to play strategy for a player like Kelly automatically changes because head injuries have a cumulative effect in terms of damage.
Lebold says hockey coaches are now beginning to “speak the language” of head injuries and understand how sensitive they are. All of it, says Lebold, is done with the same goal in mind.
“Ten to fifteen years down the road, once the hockey is over, we want to be able to call a player and have him tell us how to get to his house,” Lebold explains. “We don’t want a situation where he’s not able to process all of that information.”
The Rangers skate into London for a date with the Knights tonight.
