- © 2004 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors
The excellent article by Anthony Marchie and Michael Cusimano1 highlighted the fact that even minor concussions are serious injuries. The authors recommend caution in deciding when or whether hockey players should return to play after a concussion. This principle should apply to athletes in all sports, not just ice hockey. Traumatic brain injury can occur in a variety of sports,2 and other sports with high risks for head injury include boxing, football, wrestling, soccer and rugby.3 For example, one study showed evidence of neuropsychological impairment in amateur soccer players,4 whose performance on tests of planning and memory was inferior to that of amateur athletes involved in swimming and track. As pointed out by Marchie and Cusimano,1 physicians need to educate the public about brain injury and help to reduce the risk of our youth experiencing permanent cognitive deficits as a result of sports.
Stephen D. Anderson Clinical Associate Professor Department of Psychiatry Faculty of Medicine University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC