Tackle football has become a major focus of discussion as well as of articles and even AAP policy (10.1542/peds.2015-3282) as published in our journal and even in in the public eye thanks to the attention this topic is getting through mass media-- including television and movies. But what about other sports? We unintentionally can lose track of concussion risk in other sports given the spotlight on football—but fortunately Kontos et al. (10.1542/peds.2015-1633) will not let that happen with their newly published study on concussion incidence in youth ice hockey players ages 12-18 years.
The authors looked at concussions relative to games and practices in this age group and found 1.58 concussions per 1000 athletic exposures (games and practices) as captured in three different geographic areas of the country over two hockey seasons. Just what were the circumstances for the concussions captured in this study and how did they differ by age and between games and practices is the goal that the authors were shooting for and do achieve.
If you are interested in gaining a better understanding of how ice hockey concussions compare to other youth sports in both practices and games as well as by age, then skate through this study and inform your hockey-playing patients and their families of what you learn. Perhaps the AAP will provide ice hockey guidelines for children just as they have for tackle football to reduce the risk of concussions occurring for children who play this popular sport.
