CMAJ • July 3, 2007; 177 (1). doi:10.1503/cmaj.070742.
© 2007 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors
All editorial matter in CMAJ represents the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the Canadian Medical Association.
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NEWS

Secret locker room game causing concussions

Donalee Moulton

Halifax

There's a dangerous new game being played out in the locker rooms of hockey rinks and arenas across North America. Although most coaches, parents and certainly most doctors have never heard of "Helmets and Gloves" (also called locker boxing and buckets), they are quickly becoming more familiar with the cuts, bruises and concussions that are ensuing from the game.

Dalhousie University Associate Professor of Pediatrics Dr. Kevin Gordon learned of the game and consequences while treating injured athletes at the IWK (Izaak Walton Killam) Health Centre in Halifax.


Figure 9
Locker room goonery takes toll on youngsters. Photo by: Art Explosion

A bit of Internet investigation soon led Gordon to videos of matches posted on YouTube and other sites popular with young people. The game, seen as a test of "manhood," has few rules and even less equipment. Participants, wearing only gloves and helmets, knock one another about the head until someone falls to the ground or a helmet flies off. While shoulder dislocation, cuts from skate blades, and even toe amputation are among reported injuries, the primary concern is concussion.

In particular, "it's the concussion upon the concussion that is the big worry," Gordon notes. "If you play while concussed, you are more likely to get concussed again. You get a cumulative effect."

In regulated sports, a team member would not be able to play for a specified period of time after suffering a concussion. "[But] these are concussions that aren't even going on anyone's radar," says Gordon, who now includes questions about Helmets and Gloves on every concussion history he takes.

In many cases, kids do not even consider the blackout they suffer or the head injury they receive as a result of the locker room game to be an actual concussion because it was never diagnosed as such, Gordon says.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 PediatricsHome page
W. P. Meehan III and R. G. Bachur
Sport-Related Concussion
Pediatrics, January 1, 2009; 123(1): 114 - 123.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

eLetters:

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Helmets and Gloves
James W. & John R. Price
CMAJ, 16 Jul 2007 [Full text]
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