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Study Finds Concussion Rate in Youth Ice Hockey No Higher Than in Other Collision Sports

Study Finds Concussion Rate in Youth Ice Hockey No Higher Than in Other Collision Sports

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Participation in youth ice hockey doubled during the past two decades, raising concerns about the risk of concussions in this fast-paced, popular sport. A new study in of Pediatrics  found overall concussion rates among youth ice hockey players similar to those in other youth collision sports, with most resulting from illegal contact.

 
The study, “Incidence of Concussion in Youth Hockey Players​,” followed 397 players between the ages of 12 and 18 in Western Pennsylvania, Boston, Massachusetts, and Birmingham, Alabama, who participated in a total of 23,369 games and practices during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. 
 
Of the 37 medically diagnosed concussions the players experienced, all involved player-to-player contact such as checking or collision, and 43 percent involved illegal plays resulting in penalties. Although three times as many concussions happened in youth ice hockey games compared to practices, according to the study, youth hockey players were more likely to get a concussion during a hockey practice than participants in other similar youth sports during practices, including football. The study also found younger players between ages 12 and 14 had a higher concussion rate than the older players.
 
The finding is in contrast to other youth sports such as football, the authors said, which show increasing concussion rates as players get older.
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