Laurier concussion research group teams up with local hockey academy to investigate safe return to sport protocol
For immediate release
(August 15, 2017)
Dr. Michael Cinelli (PhD) and Katie Mitchell (PhD student and Physiotherapist) from Wilfrid Laurier University’s Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, partnered with Victus Academy, a hockey academy located in Kitchener, to conduct a study to measure balance control in their youth hockey players. The study challenged current practices used to help determine when athletes are ready to return to sport after a concussion.
Earlier this year, the 5th Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport was published and balance is now recognized as a clinical domain of sport-related concussion. Currently, clinicians assess athletes by having them stand still and observing the amount of sway, which is not a very accurate method 72 hours after a concussion.
“Previous studies have proven that balance impairments persist beyond the resolution of symptoms” explains Dr. Cinelli. “Currently, there are no proven clinical tools to assess advanced balance control in previously concussed youth athletes to determine true readiness to return to sport.”
The study sought to determine whether a novel challenging balance task was sensitive enough to detect balance control deficits in previously concussed but recovered hockey players. Forty-five youth hockey players from Victus Academy participated in the study. During the task athletes stood on a Nintendo Wii board while responding as quickly as possible to lights arranged on the floor in front of them.
The results showed that the youth hockey players with a history of previous concussion performed the task more cautiously compared to the non-concussed group. These findings suggest that previous concussed youth athletes without any symptoms have difficulty processing visual information to produce appropriate actions even after they have returned to sport.
These findings emphasize the clinical importance of using challenging balance tasks for clinical decision-making to determine true readiness for return to sport of youth athletes following a concussion.
Media Contacts:
Dr. Michael Cinelli Matthew Schmidt
Associate Professor President
Wilfrid Laurier University Victus Academy
mcinelli@wlu.ca mschmidt@victusacademy.com