The Government of Ontario is planning to implement new guidelines regarding concussions to make amateur sports safer.
Rowan’s Law Advisory Committee recently released their recommendations regarding head injury and treatment.
The committee was created in June 2016 to review the recommendations made by a jury after the death of Rowan Stringer, a 17-year-old high school rugby player who died as a result of complications arising from multiple concussions.
The committee provided 21 recommendations in five areas:
Surveillance, which includes public reporting and the collection of data regarding concussions.
Prevention, which includes creating and following policies on dangerous behaviours and ensuring that the environment is safe.
Detection, which includes training and additional personnel.
Management, which includes creating a tracking system for concussions and consistency across Ontario.
Awareness, which includes education for students, health professionals, and teachers, as well as greater public awareness.
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport intends to implement the recommendations as well as create legislation to govern amateur sports in Ontario. In addition to making sports safer, the new legislation aims to create jobs and grow the economy.
Currently, in Ontario, sports organizations and school boards are required to have policies on concussions. The new regulations would make response to concussions standard throughout Ontario.
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport defines a concussion as “a brain injury that causes changes in how the brain functions, leading to symptoms that can be physical, cognitive, emotional/behavioural and/or related to sleep.
A concussion can occur from a blow to the head or body that causes the brain to move rapidly back and forth within the skull.”
Concussion symptoms may include:
- Dizzines
- Difficulty remembering or concentrating
- Difficulty sleeping
- Irritability
- Headaches
- Concussions can cause permanent brain damage.
The Ministry of Education notes that the three leading causes of concussions are sports, falls, and bike accidents, with sports accounting for 45 per cent of concussions.
In Canada, 63 per cent of children and youth that visit the emergency room due to a sports-related head injury are diagnosed with a concussion or possible concussion, states the Ministry of Education. Overall, the Ministry of Education found that 10 per cent of students in Ontario have been diagnosed with a concussion.
Photo by Jesse Orrico