Concussion and bat and stick sports
Coach/Teacher, General, Official/Administrator, Participant/Parent
October 30, 2023
The player skates down the ice. With the puck on their stick, the player looks ahead to the opposing goalie and cuts to the middle. Suddenly, an opposing defender comes over, hits the player over, and steals the puck. The play continues down the other end while the player gets up and stumbles over to the bench.
Getting bodychecked in ice hockey is one way a concussion can happen in bat and stick sports, but there are also other ways. In a recent systematic review, researchers looked at the differences in concussion between male and female athletes in bat and stick sports. For example, in ice hockey, male athletes were likely to experience a concussion from player contact while female ice-hockey players were more likely to experience a concussion from equipment contact. The differences in concussion mechanism highlight the importance of being prepared and informed about concussion before stepping on the ice.
Learn more in International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching:
Learn more about ice hockey injuries and how to prevent them on Active and Safe:
https://activesafe.ca/ice-hockey/
Learn more about concussion with the Concussion Awareness Training Tool (CATT):