Did you know that that concussions can result from an impact to the body, not just your head? This Concussion Awareness Week, we would like to raise awareness on the causes, symptoms and prevention of concussions.
Concussions are a type of brain injury that can occur from impacts to the head, neck, face or body. When you are hit in any of these places, your brain moves inside the skull. This movement can cause a concussion and lead to symptoms like head pressure, dizziness, nausea, lethargy, light sensitivity and not thinking clearly. Concussions can have short and long-term effects on brain health. Annually, hospital emergency departments treat an estimated 100,000 patients with concussions, with youth between 5 and 19 years old accounting for 40% of those treated.
To improve safety and reduce concussions in sport and recreation, the Government of Canada has been working with provinces and territories to lead pan-Canadian efforts on concussion awareness, prevention, detection and management. We want to make sure that everyone, including athletes, coaches and parents, has the information they need to reduce the risk of concussions.
Over the last 5 years, $51 million has been invested through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) in research and initiatives to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injuries, including concussions.
Additionally, in the summer of 2022, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) launched the Detecting concussions using objective indicators challenge, seeking solutions to prevent severe health outcomes associated with concussions. This challenge gained the attention of concussion experts across Canada. Three finalists have received $150,000 each to fully develop their idea. A final winner will be selected in early 2024 to receive up to $1.15 million. This will help health practitioners support concussion diagnosis, prognoses and monitoring of recovery, as well as identifying cases where symptoms may recur over a longer period.
