Females More Susceptible to Concussions
Apropos to the lecture I gave last Friday to the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, speaking on the biomechanics of injury, is an article I just read entitled “Females More Susceptible to Concussions” published in the Globe and Mail.
The article reported on a study presently being conducted at the University of Montreal by Dr. David Ellenberg. Dr. Ellenberg’s research evidences that not only are women more likely than men to suffer a sports-related concussion and to have more severe symptoms in the days immediately following the injury, but are also more likely to have worse long term outcomes. While the researchers don’t know why women are more vulnerable than men, factors may include weaker necks and subtle differences in brain chemistry. The research, being funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research is tracking concussed male and female athletes for two years or more to compare their symptoms, cognitive deficits, impairments in balance and anomalies in the electrical activity of their brains.
I look forward to the research being published.